The Unknown Sibling
by Averial Flames
Summary: Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro had a sister they never knew about. She currently lives in Konoha, as a member of Team 7. Slowly but surely, she falls in love with Sasuke not for his looks, but because of his character. However, when she meets her siblings in the Chunin exam, what would she choose? Love or family? Sasuke x OC
1. Flashback aka Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**This is my second fanfic, I will be continuing my first fic. This time, the OC is called Mikotsu, female. Right now, we will be going into her history and how she got to Konoha.**

_12 Years Ago in Suna_

"_Kazekage sir! We have an urgent message from our new allies, Konoha ninja. They request an audience with you, my lord." A sand ninja barged into the Kazekage's quarters._

"_Send them in quickly, I don't have much time," came the Kazekage's cold voice._

_The sand ninja backed away and came in with three leaf ninja._

"_Who are you?" the Kazekage asked._

_One of the ninja said, "I am Kakashi Hatake, these two are my trusted comrades, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi. We have come to beg a favor of you, Kazekage sir."_

"_What is your request?"_

"_We would like to have one of your newborns. We need a sand ninja to control our nine tails," Kakashi said. The plan was to take one of the Kazekage's children and make him the jinchuriki, then keep him inside the village. No one would be suspicious of the Anbu keeping an eye on a sand child. _

"_Why? Why not use one of your own ninjas?" the Kazekage inquired._

"_Because it would be unnatural for us to keep an eye on our own kind, would it not? Besides, it could get rid of one of your children." Everyone knew that the Kazekage had never liked his children._

"_Very well then…as a gesture of peace between our lands, you can have my youngest child, Mikotsu, to be your jinchuriki. Keep in note that we would not want her back."_

_Kakashi's team bowed. "Thank you, lord Kazekage."_

_12 Years Ago in Konoha (After Naruto is born)_

"_This child shall be the jinchuriki for nine tails…since Kakashi hasn't come back yet with the sand child," Minato gasped. "Otherwise, nine tails would destroy the village under Madara."_

_Kushina nodded. "Yes…it'd be best…for the village." With their final breaths, they sealed the nine tails into Naruto, their child._

_A few minutes later…_

_Kakashi stood over Minato and Kushina's dead bodies._

"_We were too late…"_

**Okay, so that's the history I have changed. It'll give you a bit of background info for the story I have made.**

**Review if you want, I really don't care.**


	2. Mikotsu Sabaku

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I'm not sure when they graduate from the academy, so I just made it up that they become genin at twelve years old.  
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Mikotsu POV

"Sakura Haruno...Naruto Uzumaki...and Sasuke Uchiha!" Iruka-sensei's voice rang through the room at the academy. Today was the day we graduated from the academy and officially become genin. I was fine with whoever they paired me up with, since everyone treated me the same. Except Sasuke Uchiha. He always had to be the best and was always a stuck-up, stubborn, bratty kid. I really don't know why all the girls fall for him.

I tuned out for the rest of class, since Iruka-sensei hadn't called my name yet. Finally, everyone was called, except for me.

"I'm sorry, Mikotsu. This year, we have an uneven number of students. So, you'll have to join a cell to make a 5-man team." Iruka-sensei looked at his list of academy students on his clipboard. "Why not join cell number 7? Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke."

I sighed. Really? Of all the people to put me with. "Yeah, sure," I said dejectedly as I put my head into my arms on the table. "I don't mind at all."

"Alright!" Iruka-sensei said brightly. "Now, you just stay here until your jonin teacher comes."

"Yes, Iruka-sensei," everyone said boredly.

_A few hours later..._

"How long is our teacher gonna make us wait?" Naruto whined. Everyone had already met up with their jonin except for us. Naruto was pacing the classroom, Sakura was standing next to Sasuke, Sasuke was sitting on the chair acting all high and mighty, and I was leaning on the wall in the back of the classroom.

"I know!" Naruto grabbed a chalk board eraser and put it in the ajar door. "That's what he gets for making us wait!"

"Naruto, you shouldn't do stuff like that!" Sakura scolded him.

"As if he'd fall for that," Sasuke said in a monotone. I just walked over and sat on a desk facing the door. If our jonin does fall for the trick, I wanted the front row seat.

A few minutes later, the door opened. Naruto held his breath in anticipation. As expected, the eraser fell directly on our gray-haired jonin's head with a _pff_.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto yelled.

"I-I'm sorry sensei! I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen..." Sakura began to make excuses for herself. I sighed. _This_ was our jonin director? Not very impressive. I could tell Sasuke was thinking the same thing. I actually agreed with him for once.

"Based on my first impression of you guys...I'd have to say..." our sensei said. "I hate you!"

_Later on the training ground..._

"First, let's get to know each other. Tell us your name, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and dreams," the jonin said. No one did anything.

"Sensei, you go first, to show us how it's done," Naruto whined.

"Very well. My name is Kakashi Hatake. As for my likes and dislikes, I'm not the type of person to tell that to anyone. I don't like telling people my hobbies either, and my dream is none of your business," Kakashi said.

After a pause, Sakura said to Naruto, "He said a lot, but all we really learned was his name."

"Wrong," I stated, contradicting her. "We actually learned a lot. We found out his name, yes, but we also found out that Kakashi-sensei is very picky about who he gives his information to. He doesn't trust us at all yet, and the reason is probably because giving his personal information put him or his comrades in danger before."

Kakashi POV

Very well analyzed. Just as a true sand shinobi would. Maybe I should reveal to her who she really is? ...nah, later.

Mikotsu POV

I sighed. I hated over thinking stuff. I'm good at it, yeah, but it hurts my head.

"My turn," I announced boredly. "My name is Mikotsu Sabaku. I like sand and I hate lectures. My hobby is sleeping. I really don't have a dream."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto said brightly. "What I like is when Iruka-sensei treats me to Ichiraku Ramen! I hate the three minute wait after you pour in the water for instant ramen. My hobby is trying all kinds of ramen. And my dream...is to become a better Hokage than old man third!"

"I am Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke said, folding his hands together. "I don't like anything, and I hate a lot of things. What I have is not a dream, but an ambition. Because I will make it happen." He paused. "There's someone I have to kill. And only I can kill him."

Naruto had a really scared look on his face, and even Sakura didn't have hearts in her eyes. Me, I was half asleep, so I fell onto my back. Hooray for my awesome power to sleep at any time.

After a while, Sakura said, "My name is Sakura Haruno. What I like isn't an object, it's a boy. And his name is..." She blushed like mad and looked at Sasuke. Wow. What does she see in him?

"I hate...Naruto!" Sakura said suddenly. Naruto looked like lightning just struck him.

"Let's move on to my dream..." Sakura blushed once again. I'd bet anything it was to get married with Sasuke and have kids.

Kakashi-sensei had this hopeless look in his eyes by Sakura's statements. "All right then...tomorrow, we'll have our first test. It's extremely hard, and has a failing rate of 66%."

Everyone gulped, except for me. I was thinking about what to eat for dinner. Maybe I should invite Naruto over? We both don't have families...

"What's the test?" Naruto asked, hesitantly.

"Scared before you even got started?" Kakashi-sensei taunted. "I'm not going to tell you the details until tomorrow, so be prepared. Also, a word of advice. Don't eat breakfast. You might throw up."

Really? I doubt that. Nothing ever fazes me. Oh, maybe I should go to that tea shop for breakfast...

**Okay, so this is the first real chapter of this story. So everything really just follows the Naruto timeline, until a certain point where I get tired of writing this story and just wrap it up.**

**Review, please!  
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	3. Mochi Power!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This is the next morning, when they prepare for the ultra-hard test thingy.**

Mikotsu POV

I yawned, and looked out the window. What time is it? Oh, yay, it's still early morning.

I sighed, got up, and got dressed. I wore a dark blue shirt that said "**Konoha's Next Hokage**" in big neon green letters in the middle. It matched my dark red hair perfectly. Then, I put a leather jacket over it. I put on knee high jeans that was slightly ripped from kunai training at the academy, along with the pouch of shurikens and kunais at my waist.

I opened my apartment door and exited the building. Only a few people were up yet. I walked along the streets until I got to the tea shop that I went to often.

"Hey, mister shop owner! Are you guys open yet?" I hollered through the door.

"Wha-? Oh, it's you, Mikotsu! What are you doing so early in the morning?" the shopkeeper said, turning around away from whatever he was working on.

"Nothing," I said, seating myself at the counter. "I just have to pass this really hard test that my jonin teacher's gonna give me." I looked at the menu. "Can I have a bowl of anmitsu (it's a type of jello with fruit and syrup) and some mochis?"

"Sure thing," the shopowner replied, busying himself with preparing the desserts.

"Is Aiko-chan up yet?" I asked politely while he worked.

"Yeah, she went to deliver something to one of my friends."

I nodded and looked around the shop. There were many tables in the shop, as well as some pictures of the Hokages. I saw this picture that someone drew of the third Hokage. Maybe I should be Hokage as well.

"Here, Mikotsu-chan." The shopkeeper's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He put my food in front of me.

"Thanks," I said gratefully. "Itadakimatsu!"(I don't know how to spell that) I dug in and wolfed the jelly down. Man, this was good.

As soon as I finished and payed for my breakfast, I left the shop, holding the mochis in a bag in my hand.

"Come again!" the shopkeeper said.

"I will!" I replied, waving over my shoulder. "Tell Aiko-chan I said hi!"

I walked along the streets until I got to Training Ground 3. This was where we were supposed to meet. Naruto and Sasuke arrived already, but Sakura was nowhere to be found yet.

"Yo," I said, as I made my way over. I put up my hand in a greeting.

"Hi, Mikotsu-chan!" Naruto said brightly as he high-fived my hand. We've known each other for a long time.

"Hn," Sasuke said, quietly. I held up the box of mochis. "You guys want some?"

Naruto hesitated. "Are you sure? Kakashi-sensei told us that we shouldn't eat breakfast..."

"Think of it as a snack," I said irritatedly. I didn't bring this over for nothing. "If you want one, just take one."

Naruto nodded, and took one. "That tastes good!"

I laughed, then stopped. "Oh, look who's coming."

"Sasuke-kun!" came a high-pitched, girly scream from behind me. Ugh. Sakura. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's actually really nice. When she's not around Sasuke, that is.

As she came up from behind Sasuke, I sighed. Honestly, I can't tell why the girls love him. His hair looks like a duck's ass...

"Sakura-chan, you want some mochis?" I pointed to the box that Naruto was holding.

"It's alright," Sakura replied, then went back to worshipping Sasuke. Sasuke gave me a look that told me to help him. I liked watching him suffer, but even this was too much for me.

Sasuke POV

I gave Mikotsu a pleading look as Sakura continued to pester me. I know Mikotsu doesn't like me, unlike the other girls at the academy. That makes her stand out among the girls, and that's why I would like her if she was nicer towards me.

I saw her sigh and head towards me. Yes! I'm saved!

"Sakura-chan, do you want to explore the area first? Kakashi-sensei might be inside, waiting for us. Or, there could be traps hidden to his advantage." Mikotsu grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her into the training ground.

As soon as they both disappeared, I let out a sigh of relief. Instantly, Naruto was at my side.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" he taunted. "Did she get under your skin?"

"Shut up, idiot," I snarled back as aggressively as I could. "You wouldn't know, since you don't have girls stalking you every second of the day."

Naruto laughed, then put his hands behind his head. "I'm assuming you're not talking about Mikotsu at all, are you? She doesn't worship you!"

I sighed, and left to follow Sakura and Mikotsu. She did have a good point. If we had to take down Kakashi-sensei as our test, then it would be a good idea to check for booby traps.

_After five hours of waiting..._

Mikotsu POV_  
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"Hello, students!" Kakashi-sensei's voice drifted through the training ground. It was afternoon already.

"You're late!" we all shouted in anger.

Kakashi-sensei pretended not to notice. "Let me explain the rules for this test. All you have to do is take these bells away from me." He held up two bells and attached them to his waist. "You can use any tactic, and attack as if you were planning to kill me, or you will never take these bells. Whoever doesn't have a bell by the time this clock rings," Kakashi-sensei paused and set an alarm clock on a stump of a tree, "will be tied here, without lunch, and watch us while we eat our lunches."

"So that's why you didn't want us to eat breakfast!" Naruto exclaimed in horror. I could tell everyone else was thinking the same thing, except for me. Lucky me, I came prepared. Hehehe.

"So we just have to take the bells? No big deal!" Naruto grinned. "I'll have these bells before you know it!"

"You shouldn't speak before you actually get the bells," Kakashi-sensei said, "dunce."

I saw Naruto flaming up. "What did you say?" He charged directly at our jonin with a kunai in his hand. In a matter of milliseconds, Kakashi-sensei had grabbed Naruto's head and kunai so that they were harmlessly pointing in a random direction.

"I didn't say start yet. Well, at least you attacked to kill. So it seems you've finally begun to respect me." Kakashi-sensei paused. "Ready...go!"

**Yay, this was a long chappie ;) I thought this was a nice place to stop since I can't remember what happens next.**

**Review?  
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	4. Sand

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Mikotsu POV

_Always hide yourself whenever possible._ That rule had been drilled into us when we were still academy students. I was concealed, I hope, on top of a tree.

"All right!" Naruto's voice rang out through the training ground. "I'm not going to hide! Let this be a battle between the two warriors!"

_Baka!_ I thought._ Didn't you learn anything at the academy?_

**Well, since you guys know what happens to them, I'm going to skip ahead to Mikotsu's attacks, which comes after Sakura's and before Sasuke's.  
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There! Kakashi-sensei isn't looking this way! I quickly threw a couple shuriken and Kakashi-sense dodged it. Not surprised. I scanned the area. Good. A sandy clearing with no one to interrupt. I slid out from under the bush I was hiding from and used my specialty, sand coffin. The sand started to snake around Kakashi-sensei's ankles.

Suddenly, he turned into a log.

"Damn! Subsitution jutsu!" I calmed down and focused. I closed my eyes and listen for any sound that shouldn't be here.

There! A tiny sound that almost no one would notice. It was in the direction of six o'clock. I acted like I was still listening for Kakashi-sensei while focusing my chakra to mold the sand behind me into a pike. In less than a second, I grabbed the pike and threw it at where the sound came from. Kakashi-sensei jumped out from where he was hiding.

"Gotcha!" I smirked. Kakashi-sensei nodded and said, "Let me give you a lesson about genjutsu: art of illusions." (I think that's what it is...)

Kakashi-sensei did a hand sign and instantly I felt sleepy. This must be what a genjutsu was...I shook my head to snap out of it, but it was useless. I tried to remember what I've read about genjutsu...Stop your chakra flow...Right!

I controlled the sand to attack myself. It sliced my wrist open.

"Ow!" I yelled. However, I was back. I mentally happy danced, then focused on Kakashi-sensei once more.

"Is that how you want to play?" I smirked. "Wind style: Sand bullets!" The sand instantly turned pebble hard and chased after Kakashi-sensei. "Art of Disappearing!" I melted into my sand and chased after him as well.

My hand was a few centimeters away from the bells. Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei leaped up and vanished.

"Damn!" I cursed.

_A few hours later..._

Naruto was tied up to a tree stump. Sasuke and Sakura were sitting on each side of Naruto. I was sitting on top of the stump.

Kakashi-sensei started lecturing us, but I mostly tuned out. I wasn't really concerned that I didn't get a bell now, since no one else did.

"You all fail!"

I instantly snapped my head up. "What?"

"To send you back to the academy is useless. You haven't understood the concept this test was; it was to test your teamwork!"

"Teamwork?" Naruto echoed dumbly. Kakashi-sensei nodded.

"But why were there only two bells?" Sasuke and I said at the same time.

"To see which one of you would set aside your own greed and suggest that you all work together as a team. Naruto, you thought you could take me by yourself. Sakura, you ignored Naruto who was in front of you and instead looked for Sasuke, who you had no clue where he was. Sasuke, you thought the other two would only get in your way, so you tried to take me on yourself as well! As for you Mikotsu, you didn't bother even trying to help Naruto and Sakura when they were hurt. All you cared about was getting me to a terrain which would benefit you only. Your first concern should have been to help your comrades."

Kakashi-sensei pointed at the bento boxes. "All of you can eat, except for Naruto. I expect you guys to work together after you finish eating."

I sighed. "Do I have to?"

Kakashi sensei continued, "Yes. No one, and I repeat no one, is to give Naruto any food." Kakashi-sensei vanished. _Teleportation jutsu..._

**I'm just gonna stop it here...since I'm not in the mood to write this story without being 100% sure that it happened in the real story...**

**Review!  
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	5. Passing Grade

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Whoo! I got the books! Now I can get what the Naruto characters said, word for word! (mostly)**

**Read and enjoy, guys :D**

Mikotsu POV

That Kakashi-sensei. I am so mad at him right now. But at least I ate breakfast.

"Hey, this'll be a breeze. I can go without lunch...no problem!" Naruto shouted at the exact moment his stomach rumbled. Sakura, Sasuke, and I gave each other a worried glance, then they took the bento boxes and started eating. I, however, just took the food and sat down on Naruto's tree stump. Sasuke sat on Naruto's right, Sakura on Naruto's left.

After a while of them eating, I had a great idea. I gave Sasuke a meaningful look. He took the hint and pushed up his bento box to Naruto. "Here."

Sakura's eyes flew wide, and Naruto looked surprised. I just waited to see what they were going to do.

"Bu...But Sasuke! Kakashi-sensei told us-!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I'm not worried. He's probably miles away by now. And we'll all need our strength if we're going to work together to get those bells." Sasuke looked up at me and winked. Thanks for the credit. "You're no good to me if you're just going to be a liability."

Naruto looked as if Sasuke had just declared his love for him. Sakura had her mouth open, looked at her bento box, then shoved it to Naruto. Once again, Naruto had a surprised look on his face, then he grinned. I smiled a small smile, took out my kunai, then pretended to fall down. While falling, I sliced the kunai through the ropes bounding Naruto. I smiled cheekily. "Slip of the hand, Naruto. But you're free now!"

"Heheh..." Naruto said, embarrassed. "Thanks guys..."

Kakashi POV

Finally! A team that understood the hidden meaning in the bento box. I was behind a tree not too far away, listening on their conversation. These were my first students that were smart enough to pass. I think it's time to tell them the good news.

Mikotsu POV

Suddenly, a mini-explosion appeared before us.

"What the heck?" Sakura yelled, covering her eyes. Naruto started running in place, too scared to run away. Sasuke got into a ready position to attack, and I fell to the ground, holding a kunai in front of me.

"YOU..." It was none other than Kakashi-sensei. Not wanting to lower my guard, I kept the kunai held out.

"AAGH-!" Naruto cried, dodging behind me. Thanks. Sakura turned away from the danger.

"Pass!" Kakashi-sensei suddenly stopped his assault and smiled, then winked at us.

"Eh...?" Sakura stared, surprised.

"Hunh?" Naruto echoed with a similar expression. Sasuke kept on his game face, in case it was just a joke. I got next to Sasuke and sat down, calmly. See, nothing really fazes me, unless there's some big happening that I didn't know about.

Sakura was the first one to recover. "We pass? But...why?"

"You three have just taken a giant step forward." Kakashi-sensei said, raising his hand.

"Um...how?" Sakura asked.

"Up until now, all any of you have done is listen unquestioningly to everything I say...like mindless, little drones. A true shinobi seeks for the hidden meanings within hidden meanings. In a ninja's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders...are lower than garbage." Kakashi-sensei paused. "However...those who do not care for and suppoert their fellows...are even lower than that!" Kakashi-sensei finished dramatically.

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed, smiling.

"Hn," Sasuke put his head down and smiled a small smile.

"This exercise is now concluded. You all pass!" Kakashi-sensei flashed his thumb at us. "That's all for today, Team Seven. Your duties will commence tomorrow!"

"I...I did it! I did it! I'm a ninja!" Naruto cried, with tears of joy in his eyes. "Ninja! Ninja! Ninja!"

Kakashi-sensei turned away with Sasuke and Sakura. "Let's go home."

"Yeah!" I pumped my fist up in the air and grabbed Naruto's arm. "Let's go!"

**This chappie was short and sweet :D Next chapter is when they face Zabuza. I don't feel like adding in on how they got there. So it starts out when Zabuza throws his Throat Cleaver or whatever it's called at Team Seven, who is escorting the carpenter dude, Tazuna.**

**Any reviews this time? If you don't know how to send a review, it's after his line, it says: Review this Chapter :D  
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	6. Sharingan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Like I said before, I'm going to start it off when Team Seven is escorting Tazuna, and Zabuza just threw his Throat Cleaver. Since I'm too lazy to include the non action parts :)**

Mikotsu POV

What the hell? Some ugly dude just threw this mega sized sword at us! He jumped on top of his sword, which had thunked into a tree. He didn't have a shirt on, and had wrappings on his lower face and neck. He had cloths covering his arms and legs. His eyes were evil and calculating.

Kakashi-sensei had a dark look in his eyes. Now I was scared. This new guy looks like he can do major killing. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I were genin. What chance would we stand, against a pro killer like him?

"Well, well...if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, the kid who ran off and left the Land of the Mists!" Kakashi-sensei announced. Naruto prepared to attack, and I put my hand on a kunai. However, Kakashi-sensei held out a hand to stop us. "Don't interfere. Give me room. This one is on a different plane from our previous opponents."

"But..." I trailed off as I saw Kakashi-sensei put a hand to his Leaf Headband.

"This may be a little rough," Kakashi-sensei said as he prepared to lift it up.

Sasuke POV

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, I presume?" Zabuza said. "If if wouldn't be too much trouble...could you surrender the old man?"

_Sharingan-The mirror wheel eye?_

"Assume the Manji Battle Formation! Protect ...All of you, stay out of the fight. That's the kind of teamwork this situation demands." Kakashi-sensei stepped up. "And now...Zabuza..." Kakashi-sensei completely lifted his headband from his left eye.

"Oh..." Naruto gasped.

"Shall we?" Kakashi-sensei glared, his Sharingan Eye completely shown. I was surprised, to say the least.

"Ahh...to face the legendary Mirror-wheel eye so early in our acquaintance...this is an honor." Zabza taunted.

"You keep calling it a mirror eye, a sharingan eye..." Naruto burst out. "What the heck is it?" Leave it to the idiot to ask the question.

"Good point..." Mikotsu stared at me. "Does Mr. Perfect know what it is?" I'd better explain it for the good of everyone.

"Shinobi who have the Sharingan Eye have mastered a form of ocular ninjutsu. It enables them to penetrate and see the reality behind any illusion or spell...and to reflect the power of the magics they penetrate back on those who cast them," I announced. "A mirror-wheel, or sharingan, eye is one of the several types used by the masters. And there's more."

"Like what?" Naruto asked.

"Heheh...Exactly," Zabuza smirked, I think. I can't really tell with the wrappings covering his mouth. "There is indeed more. Most formidable of all is the acuity with which the Sharingan can discern and then duplicate its opponent's greatest skill." He paused. "When I was an assassin for the Kirigakure...I possessed the usual Bingo book-a kind of who's who of our enemies. It had quite the extensive write-up on you...including a mention of your impressive record. The man who had penetrated and copied over a thousand different techniques...Kakashi the mirror ninja."

Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza then had a glare off.

_But...the Sharingan eye is supposed to be unique to only a small number of the Uchiha clan. Could he be...? _I gave Kakashi-sensei a suspicious look._  
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"Enough. Pleasant as this conversation has been...the time for talk is over. I'm on a very tight schedule to polish off the old man."

Old man Tazuna gasped.

"But...Kakashi...it looks like I'm going to have to kill you first." Zabuza grabbed his huge sword and flitted to the lake.

Mikotsu POV

What the hell? He was standing on water!

"Over there!" Naruto yelled, turning in the direction of the lake.

"Is he...walking on water?" Sakura gasped. No duh. Kakashi-sensei kept his eyes on Zabuza.

"The finest of the ninja arts...the Kirigakure jutsu." Zabaza said as he slowly disappeared.

"He's gone!" Sakura, Naruto, and I yelled. This was too freaky for me.

"He will come after me first," Kakashi-sensei told us. "Momochi Zabuza of the Kirigakure assassin corps is a famous master of the art of silent killing. Letting your guard down around him buys you a direct trip to heaven. I haven't necessarily mastered every aspect of the Sharingan eye...so all of you stay on your toes!"

I could hear everyone's heart beating. Mine joined in.

"What's with all this fog?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence.

**"There are eight targets."**

"What?" Sakura gasped, alarmed. "What...what was that?"

**"Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the Jugular vein, the Subclavian artery, kidney, heart. So many choices..." **I slipped some chakra into the soil around me, kneading it into sand.**"What vital, vulnerable place shall I choose? Heheh..."**

Kakashi-sensei tensed up and did a hand sign. Instantly, I felt a terrible bloodlust. No, not from Kakashi-sensei, but from somewhere else. It was all around me. I felt Sasuke reach for a kunai, shivering, and eyes wide. Normally, I'd make fun of him, but I was too scared to do anything. I didn't want to die so early in my life yet.

"Sasuke." A voice reached out to us. "Calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you." I realized it was Kakashi-sensei, and he was talking to all of us, not just Sasuke. "I will never let my comrades die!" The jonin smiled. It made me realize that we were not alone. Reassured, I tightened my focus on the sand. It rose from the ground and formed a few dozen small sand bullets.

**"I wouldn't bet on that..." **Zabuza appeared behind me. He was between us genin and Mr. Tazuna. **"Game over."**

**Okay, sorry about not updating for so long. I had a really horrible case of writers block. Yes I know, I had writers block even with the book in front of me! Oh, and I was too lazy to update :P**

**Reviews?  
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	7. Inception

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Sazuko POV**  
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_**"I wouldn't bet on that..." **Zabuza appeared behind me. He was between us genin and Mr. Tazuna. **"Game over."**_

Crap! I sent my sand bullets directly at Zabuza, but it had no effect whatsoever. I was prepared to die, but Kakashi-sensei suddenly appeared between us. He knocked us genin away from Zabuza, and scored a kunai directly in Zabuza's stomach.

"Master, behind you!" Naruto suddenly shouted. I turned my head in the direction Naruto was pointing. There was another Zabuza, like a clone of the one Kakashi-sensei just hit!

Kakashi-sensei turned around, alerted. However, Zabuza slice his giant sword directly through Kakashi-sensei.

"Eyaaah!" Sakura and I shouted at the same time. Kakashi-sensei was chopped dead by this Zabuza guy! In one hit! I was freaked out by the death of my jonin sensei.

Suddenly, the dead jonin turned to water.

"A water doppelganger?" I asked in fright and relief. That means Kakashi-sensei wasn't killed!

"Don't move..." I turned around and saw Kakashi-sensei behind Zabuza. "Game over."

"Awesome!" Naruto shouted.

"Heheh!" Sakura giggled. Well, wasn't that a quick change in emotions. Sasuke was just standing like normal, except that he was sweating. I guess that really got to him, huh?

"...Heh.." Zabuza said. "You think it's over? You just don't get it...It will take more to defeat me than mimicking me like an ape...a lot more." He paused. "But you are good! In that short time, you duplicated my water doppelganger technique. And by making your doppelganger say something you'd have said yourself, you ensured all my attention would be focused on it while you yourself used the Kirigakure technique of hiding in the mist, watching my every move!

"Too bad for you..." Zabuza trailed off.

"I am not that easy to fool!" came from behind Kakashi-sensei. It was another copy of Zabuza! How did he do that?

"Zabuza was a water doppelganger too!" Naruto yelled. I inched closer to Sasuke. If the Uchiha clan was as strong as he always said they were, I sure hope he's going to act like a man and protect me.

The demon of the mist drew back his sword and aimed for Kakashi-sensei. The jonin ducked, and Zabuza's swing went wild. His weapon lodged on the ground, making his movement limited. However, as a seasoned warrior, he used his sword for extra length and aimed a kick at Kakashi-sensei. He went flying, all the way to the pond a long way away.

Zabuza dashed towards Kakashi-sensei for an extra attack. All us genin could do was watch. Suddenly, Zabuza skidded to a halt. I squinted to see what had made him stop. Caltrops! Good going, Kakashi-sensei.

"Foolishness!" Zabuza yelled as Kakashi-sensei landed in the water.

"Sensei!" Naruto screamed. Sakura and Sasuke were just staring at Zabuza in fright and wonder. I was trying to get sand to form a shield around Mr. Tazuna and us genin. After all, our safety is important.

**Okay...so...I'm sorry, but I have to skip ahead to the next day. When they practice climbing trees. I need to return this library book tomorrow :P Sorry about this...  
>Just pretend that they make it out okay, and Mikotsu was protecting Mr. Tazuna in a sand sphere. Like Gaara's Ultimate Defense.<br>Then, when they first did the tree climbing exercise, Mikotsu did better than Naruto and Sasuke, she got halfway up the tree. Sakura got to all the way top, as we know.**

**Like I said before, I'm so sorry about this.  
><strong>


	8. Trees

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Right. So right now, they're practicing climbing up trees. The dialogue will be different!**

Mikotsu POV

Dammit, this tree-climbing is harder than I thought! I jumped from trunk to trunk and finally landed on the ground. I compared my tree to Naruto's and Sasuke's. Sasuke was nearly at the top, Naruto was almost halfway. I was catching up to Sasuke, but he was still higher than me.

I walked over to Sasuke. Naruto had asked Sakura for advice, but I couldn't hear anything. I could ask Naruto, but he probably forgot what Sakura told him. Since Sasuke was the number one student at the academy, I guess asking him would be a more appropriate choice than Naruto. And Sakura left already...so...

"Sasuke...help me with this," I stated, not exactly asking. "I asking for help, so be nice and help me."

Sasuke gave me a startled look, surprised that I would ask him instead of Naruto. He knows I hate him. "Just help me. _Please_."

Sasuke POV

_"Please."_

I mentally flinched. "Uh..." What do I say to that? If it was Sakura or some fangirl, I could easily brush her off. But she was actually asking me sincerely! She's asking me as a normal person, not just because she wants to talk to me because I'm cute.

"Right. So you just concentrate, and try to control the chakra in the soles of your feet. Then maintain it. Try not to think about anything else. And a running start, but I think you know that already."

Mikotsu nodded. "Thanks, Sasuke." She gave me a small smile.

I nodded. She didn't call me Sasuke-kun, like the other girls. That's refreshing to hear. "Uh...yeah."

Mikotsu POV

Hm. I guess Sasuke could be pretty nice when he's not trying to be stuck up all the time. Maybe I should be a bit nicer to him as well...Oh well. I'm going to tackle this tree-climbing thing first.

I took a few steps back from my tree and focused my chakra. Concentrate and control. Concentrate and control. Concentrate an-

"Hey, Naruto!" Damn you, Sasuke! I was trying to concentrate! I could tell Naruto was thinking the same thing.

"What do you want, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, irratated.

"Yeah!" I echoed Naruto. "Good job ruining my concentration!" I stuck out my tongue at him.

Sasuke ignored me and walked to Naruto. "What did Sakura say to you?"

Uh...what? And I thought he was almost normal a second ago! Instead of pursuing the matter, I focused my chakra again.

_Okay, this time for sure! _I dashed towards my chosen tree. Once again, when I got halfway, my concentration faltered. _No! _I gritted my teeth and focused on my feet connecting with the trunk. I closed my eyes and continued dashing. When I reopened them, I was at the top.

"Yeah!" I laughed, sitting on a side branch. "Eat that, Sasuke!"

"Good job, Mikotsu-chan!" Naruto smirked at me. "I'll catch up to you soon!" Sasuke said nothing as he went back to his tree. I guess he didn't like the idea of both Sakura and me overtaking him. Guess the Uchiha needed some practice. Heheh.

**Sorry about the short chapter, I can't write when my brother's next to me...he'll just read it and start asking me questions about this...T.T**

**Please review!**


	9. Inari

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Mikotsu POV

I stared at Naruto and Sasuke as they wolfed down their dinners. Unsurprisingly, they both thew up.

"Stop eating if you're just gonna hurl it back up!" Sakura and I yelled at the same time, Sakura at Naruto and me at Sasuke.

"No, I wanna eat!" Sasuke argued. He just doesn't know when to quit, huh? I glared daggers at him.

"Food is precious, so don't waste it!" I argued back at him. I felt my orange reddish hair rising.

"Even if we make ourselves sick to do it," Naruto said. "we have to eat if we want to get strong!"

I sighed and gave up after that. Whatever it takes, eh?

After dinner, Sakura walked over to a picture on the wall.

"Um, why is this picture torn?" she asked. "Little Inari was looking at this the whole time we were having dinner." I followed her gaze to the picture. The top right hand corner was torn off, but I could see the legs of someone that was there. "Someone's face is completely gone. Is that deliberate?"

At that point, Tazuna, Tsunai, and Inari's faces fell.

"It...was a picture of Inari's father," Tsunami said softly.

"Once up a time, our entire city called him a hero," Tazuna continued. Suddenly, Inari stood up to leave. As he left, Tsunami turned around and called, "Where are you going, Inari?"

However, Inari just ignored his mother and went to his room. _SLAM_ went the door.

"Inari!" she shouted after him. Instead of following him, she turned on her father.

"Father! I've told you time and time again not to mention that in front of my son!" She left and slam the door as well.

I sighed. "Okay, what happened?"

"The man in the picture was not Inari's birth father, but they were as loving and close as any biological father and son could have been." Tazuna began. "Inari was such a happy, laughing child back then..." Naruto kept his attention on Tazuna.

"What happened that changed him?" I asked softly.

"Inari changed...after what happened to his father. Our people-especially little Inari-were robbed of the very meaning of courage because of what happened that day."

"'What happened?' What was it? What could have changed Inari so much?" Kakashi-sensei asked, curious.

Tazuna sighed, and readjusted his glasses. "Let me start at the beginning...and tell you about the man who our entire land called a champion and a hero."

"'Champion'...?" Naruto trailed off. I scooted closer to the table to hear the whole story.

**Okay, so, this time, readers, you MUST review. I need to know if I should continue by telling Inari's past, or just skip that part and go on to the next day. Your opinion is critical.**

**Review. ;)  
><strong>


	10. Kyuubi

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Okay, so, I'm going to skip over Inari's past with only a brief overview. Shame to those who didn't review.  
><strong>

Mikotsu POV

I looked over at Naruto when old man Tazuna finished his story. It was sad that Inari's father died, but it's stupid of how Inari reacted! I mean, really. Moping around all day and refusing to move on with his life? Hell, Naruto and I were alone to begin with, until we met! We never knew our parents, nor had any friends, except each other. Inari still has his mother and grandpa, and the whole village. I wasn't even sure if I was from this village, with all the dirty looks the jonin gave me. Naruto was hated as well, for some hidden reason. I've heard rumors of something about "destroying the village" and "demon fox" when they spoke of Naruto. Putting the pieces together, it probably meant that Naruto was a demon fox that destroyed the village. As if! The village seems fine to me.

Naruto got up to walk away from the table. But, he tripped and fell flat on his face. "Ow!"

"What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Don't even think about training any more today. If you try to work your chakra anymore without getting some rest first, it would probably kill you," Kakashi-sensei said, giving Naruto a casual glance.

"I'm going to prove to him that he's wrong!" Naruto said, getting up.

"Prove what? To who?" I asked, curious. Sasuke turned his head around to look at Naruto.

"I'm going to show Inari that there are still heroes in this world!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Morning-Sixth day of Training<strong>_

Haku POV

It was early morning. I sat on a chair facing the window. Then I let down my hair, making me look like a girl, and changed into female clothes. It was easy to fool people this way.

"I'm leaving, Zabuza-san," I said as I went out the door, shouldering a basket.

I walked out into the bright morning sun. The forest was still like dusk, full of shadows. I bent to down to pick a piece of yarrow for Zabuza's wounds as a bird landed onto my shoulder.

"Oh!" The bird flew away. I followed it, and it led to a boy. He was sleeping on the ground, drooling. Many birds were pecking at his body. He was a ninja, I could tell. He was holding a kunai in one of his hands. I slowly walked over to look at his headband on his forehead.

Konoha.

I narrowed my eyes. I remembered him from my last fight.

I walked over and reached out to him with my hand. The birds instantly flew away.

* * *

><p><span>Mikotsu POV<span>

I slowly sat up as I awakened. I looked over onto my right, where Sakura just woke up as well. She yawned.

"Did you just wake up too, Mikotsu?" she asked groggily. I nodded, and got out of bed, with Sakura following me. We walked into on Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei having breakfast.

"Naughty Naruto stayed out all night again, didn't he?" said Tazuna, giving us a glance.

"Ever since you told us that story, he's been in the trees, training all alone, night after night..." Sakura said, rubbing her eyes.

"He'll be fine...he has an enormous amount of stamina," I added. "I've known him for years, this is a good way to get his energy out."

"If he exhausts his chakra, though, he could kill himself and be lying dead somewhere right now," Sakura said casually, without a hint of worry in her voice. She took a seat on Sasuke's left. I sat on Sasuke's right, staring at the spot where Naruto should be. He couldn't kill himself that way. I was positive.

"I hope he's all right. It's not good for a boy to spend night after night alone outside, even with a lot of stamina," Tsunami said, worried. She brought a plate over to us.

"There's nothing to worry about," Kakashi-sensei said cheerfully. "Naruto's a goofy kid, but he's also a full-fledged ninja."

"It is possible thought...could he have killed himself?" Sasuke said, with a bit of worry on his face. Yay, Sasuke doesn't hate Naruto anymore! Maybe I should be nice to him as well.

"Not possible," I said, contradicting Sasuke. "You don't know him as well as I do."

* * *

><p><span>Haku POV<span>

I reached over at the ninja's shoulder. Naruto, was it?

"You'll catch your death of cold, sleeping on the ground." I smiled gently.

"...hunh?" He sat up with a grunt. "Who are you?"

"Can you help me pick these herbs?" I asked sweetly, hoping to distract his attention from me. He didn't need to know this stuff, since Zabuza-san is going to kill him anyways.

**Yay done ^_^ I just felt like stopping here, since the next part starts a few hours later, I think.**

**Review! Oh, and thanks to those who voted on whether or not to skip Inari's past. Many thanks.**


	11. More Trees

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

Mikotsu POV

"Did Naruto come back yet?" I came out from the shower. Damn, it's cold here.

"No," Sasuke answered me. He was sitting at the breakfast table, and obviously was deep in thought before I asked him. Kakashi-sensei was outside, talking with Tazuna and Tsunami.

"Where's Sakura?" She wasn't outside, or with Sasuke.

Sasuke pointed to his left. "She's taking a shower as well. She just went in."

"Oh." I sat down next to him and put my head on the table. "I'm bored...there's nothing to do here!"

"Hn." Sasuke turned to face me. "Go look for Naruto or something."

Since when did he care about Naruto?

"Can you come with me? If Naruto was captured by ninja from this land, one of us can come back to tell Kakashi-sensei while the other one stays and fights," I said logically. "Besides, you can go practice your tree climbing technique as well."

Sasuke stood up. "Fine." I followed him as he exited the house.

"Kakashi-sensei! Sasuke and I are going to look for Naruto!" I called out as Sasuke and I left for the woods.

Naruto POV

"Hey, hey! Have I picked enough of those herbs you wanted?" I called over to the girl. She was sitting across from me, picking some kind of grass. "Are these grasses and weeds really medicinal?"

"I'm sorry to have imposed on you."

"That's some job you took on, girl...harvesting all that this early in the morning." I glanced at her. She's kinda pretty.

"Look at who's talking! What were you doing in the middle of nowhere at the crack of dawn?" She laughed.

I sat up straight. "Training!"

"Really? That headband you're wearing...are you some kind of ninja?"

"Why? Do you think I look like one? Do I? Really? Because I am!" I yelled out. Did I really look like a ninja? Beat that, Sasuke!

"Wow, that's incredible! What are you training for?"

"To build up my strength." I smiled cheekily.

"But...you look so strong and manly already!" Man, talk about flattery.

"But...why?" she asked.

"To become the top dog in my home town!" I raised a fist in the air. "All the people who used to treat me like dirt will have to say 'he's the number one ninja'! And right now, I kind of have to prove a point...to a certain person I know." My thoughts flashed Sasuke and his arrogance. I can't stand that dude!

Instead of looking please or surprised, the girl had a serious expression on her face. "Are you doing this for the sake of that person...or for you own satisfaction?"

"Whut?" That confused me. What's she trying to say?

"Tee-hee!" she laughed.

"What's so funny?" I stood up.

"Do you have...anyone special in your life?"

"Huh?" What's she driving at?

The girl looked down for a few seconds, then looked back up at me. What now? Another question?

"When people are protecting something truly precious to thm, they truly can become...as strong as they must be!"

My eyes widened. I remembered the story Tazuna told us. Inari's dad protected their town because it was precious to him...Kakashi-sensei told us that he would never let his comrades die...Iruka-sensei protected me when I was still an academy student, when I was stealing the scroll...and I've protected Iruka-sensei when he was attacked...

"Yup!" I smiled at her. "I know all about it!" She smiled back at me, then stood up.

"You **will** get stronger...I know we'll meet again."

"Right!"

"So...you should know...I'm a boy."

_WHA? No way! He...he's girlier than Sakura and Mikotsu!_ I gaped at his back.

Sasuke POV

I saw Naruto and headed off to him. Coming away from him was a girl with long black hair.

Who was she?

* * *

><p><strong><em>Mid-afternoon...<em>**

Mikotsu POV

I yawned. Watching two boys climb trees for hours is boring.

"When are you guys going to rest?" I asked.

"When I finally beat Sasuke at this!" Naruto panted.

I walked away from the trees. "I'll be back soon."

As soon as I walked away from the clearing I dashed back towards Tazuna's house. My muscles were cramped from sitting for so long.

"Hey guys! I'm back," I called through the door.

"Hello, Mikotsu," Kakashi-sensei greeted me. I nodded at him. Everyone was seated at the table, ready for dinner. "Can I take some food for Naruto and Sasuke? They've been doing nothing except training..."

"Of course." Tsunami boxed some rice and other foods into three boxes. "Here you go."

I smiled in thanks, then dashed out the door. "I'll be back!"

I headed out to the forest, using my chakra on the soles of my feet to speed myself up. When I finally arrived at the clearing, Naruto and Sasuke were still climbing trees.

I sighed. "Boys, your dinners are here!"

Naruto instantly fell down from the tree, with Sasuke following suit.

"Yeah! Food!" Naruto dashed over to me. "Thanks!"

Sasuke ran over as well, though a bit calmer than Naruto. "Thanks."

I nodded, and dug into my own food.

**Review!**


	12. Change

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

_**Seventh day of Training-Early Morning (Like Really Early Morning)**_

Mikotsu POV

I suddenly sat up from my sleep. Just like that. Without any sign of twitching or anything.

Naruto and Sasuke were on either side of me, still sleeping. They must've been training long after I fell asleep.

I stood up to stretch. Dammit, it's still late at night! Since I've been training to be a ninja, I've been waking up really really early. And I can't fall asleep after that for some crazy reason I don't know.

"Wha...?"

I turned around. Sasuke had woken up as well, probably from my movement, then sat up. He rubbed his eyes slowly, then looked up at the sky.

"Do you know what time it is right now?" he growled sleepily at me.

I sighed and sat down next to him. "Yes I do, as a matter of fact. I can figure out this kind of stuff on my own. It's nearly three in the morning."

"So why are you awake?"

I glared at him. "Cause I can't sleep. You should go back to sleep, though, since you've been practicing your tree climbing technique for so long," I said, with a little hint of concern in my voice. I turned away from him.

"Whatever." I heard him say. He fell back onto his back, then went back to sleep. I turned back to face him, probably something I shouldn't have done.

Sasuke's face looked really relaxed, something that I haven't seen in him before. He usually has this fierce glare on at all times, so this peaceful look startled me. Dammit, he actually looks kinda cute...now I understand why the girls would fall for him. I smiled gently. Without any concious thought, my hand slipped to his hand.

"What. Are. You. Doing." Sasuke grabbed my hand, kind of gently actually. His eyes snapped open. His actions didn't match his tone of voice at all.

"I don't know..." I looked away. What _was_ I doing? Damn that cute sleeping Sasuke. If only I didn't look when I did. I wish I was a boy. Then I wouldn't have been acting like I just did.

Sasuke let go of my hand, then sat up next to me. "Looks like I'm not going to be able to sleep, with someone like you here." His voice wasn't scathing, it was actually kind of teasing.

"Shut up." I looked down, so he couldn't see my blush. I bet he could feel it though.

Sasuke POV

Was Mikotsu blushing? I thought she hated me! Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. Now she's just another fangirl for me. Ugh.

"Hey, Sasuke, don't get me wrong, I'm not like Sakura. So don't think that I'm going to fall for you that easily," Mikotsu said, jolting me out of my thoughts. Well now, she's a mind reader? Isn't this interesting.

"Hn. I never expected you to like me," I lied smoothly. Actually, I was hoping she would at least like me as friend. Or as a team mate, I guess. I wonder why I can't charm her? All the other girls love me. It's not that I like it, though. It makes life very boring, with every girl admiring you, and the boys jealous of you. Mikotsu was the exception. She didn't like me at all, which I found a bit cool. To her, I was just another human being. Not an Uchiha, but just a normal person. But she is kind of cute...

I looked over to Mikotsu. She was looking up at the sky.

"I wonder..." She paused. "...where my family is?"

I was surprised. In all the academy days, she's never spoken about her family. Nor has she ever voluntarily started a conversation with me.

"I wonder if they're looking for me, searching the whole world for me. Or if they're happy that they've never met me..." At this point, Mikotsu had some tears in her eyes. "They might be glad that I'm gone, and they're still happily alive..."

I reached over to grab her hand in mine. "You still have Team Seven. We'll always be there for each other, won't we?" I looked over at her, smiling a real smile.

Mikotsu POV

My eyes widened. Is this really the Sasuke I've known all these years? The stuck-up snob is suddenly nice...not that I don't like it or anything...

I blinked away my tears, and smiled back. "Yeah...I sure hope so..."

**This chapter was kinda short...sorry...but this will be important in the future!**

**Review! **

**On a side note...I'm really into SasuNaru right now XD**


	13. Even More Trees

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

_**Seventh Day of Training-Morning (Later, around ten)**_

Sasuke POV

I woke up, still holding Mikotsu's hand for some reason. When I realized that I was holding her hand, I let go instantly. The movements caused Mikotsu to wake up as well.

"Hey guys!" Naruto dashed over to us. "Guess what? I can get to the first branch of the tree!"

"Really, loser? Show me," I smirked. It was probably a lie. Just trying to show that he was mighty and all that. Since the first branch of a tree is more than halfway up.

"Ha! Just watch, Sasuke!" Naruto started focusing his chakra into his feet, then dashed towards a tree. When he got about three fourths way to the middle, he started faltering.

"Told you, you can't get that far!" I taunted him. No way was _Naruto_ gonna show me up.

"C'mon Naruto!" Mikotsu started cheering for him. I gave her a glare. Taking Naruto's side? After I was there for her this morning? How cheap. Oh well, she's known Naruto longer, so it's only normal.

"Yeah!" I snapped out of my thoughts. Dammit, Naruto really did make it to the first branch! Looks like I've gotta train harder.

"My turn..." I started focusing my chakra in the soles of my feet. I stepped back a few paces, then started dashing towards the tree I was just leaning on.

"Go Sasuke! If you make it, I'll tell Sakura that you won't ever go out with her!" What? So now Mikotsu's encouraging me? Whatever. I'm just going...to show Naruto that I'm better than he is!

I closed my eyes and just kept dashing up the tree, not caring how far I went. When my chakra starting diminishing in my feet, I opened my eyes. Yes, I was at a higher point than Naruto!

I jumped from tree trunk to tree trunk, until I was finally at ground level.

"How's that, dobe?" I smirked at Naruto.

"Grrr..." Naruto growled, angrily. "You suck, Sasuke!" He advanced towards me, ready to swing a fist at me. I walked towards him as well.

"Hey, hey! Chill, guys!" Mikotsu walked between us and stuck out her hands. "I just got a great idea! Naruto, you'll love it! So will you, Sasuke!"

* * *

><p><span>Sakura POV<span>

"Where did Naruto go this time? Pushing himself beyond his limit, not coming back in the morning..." Kakashi-sensei sighed.

"And Sasuke didn't return last night either! Neither did Mikotsu..." I stopped in my tracks as a kunai flipped out from the sky. I looked up to where it came from. Who did I see but Naruto! And in the middle of a tree no less.

"Heh...heh..." Naruto grinned at me.

"_Naruto_ can climb all the way up _there_?" I gasped out. _Amazing..._

"Well, well? Did you see? See how high I can climb!" Naruto stood up, but then slipped. "Uh oh!" He started falling down.

"You idiot!" I screeched.

"NO! If he falls from that height!" yelled Kakashi-sensei from next to me.

"Yikes!" Naruto started falling down.

"Aiee!" I closed my eyes. I couldn't bear to watch him fall.

"Psych!" came Naruto's voice. He didn't cry out in pain or anything. I opened my eyes and saw that Naruto had chakra sticking his feet to the branch. "Hah! Gotcha, suckers!"

"You...you almost gave me a heart attack, you jerk!" I screamed while blushing._ I'm gonna get you for this, Naruto!_

"Uh!" Once again, Naruto fell down from the tree.

"Hey- twice is too much, Naruto! Stop messing around!" I yelled angrily.

"Ahhhh!" Naruto screeched at the top of his lungs. Looks like it's real this time.

Suddenly, Sasuke appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Naruto's leg just in time.

"You bonehead."

"Sasuke!" I cried delightedly. "Yesss! Sasuke saves the day! He gives me shivers!" _Yay Sasuke! You're so cool!_

Kakashi-sensei smiled next to me.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Seventh day of Training-Night<strong>_

Mikotsu POV

"Yes!" I jumped up and down. Sasuke and Naruto both made it to the top of the tree! Naruto gave me a thumbs up, while Sasuke gave me a smirk. How nice of him. "Let's head back."

Naruto and Sasuke jumped down from tree to tree, then finally landed beside me.

"I'll carry Naruto," I offered to Sasuke, since Naruto was so beat up from overexerting himself.

"Go ahead." I took Naruto from Sasuke's shoulders. All three of use slowly walked back, the pace set by the slowest ninja.

"Ah, you're finally back!" Mr. Tazuna said as we walked in. "Looking all beaten up."

"We all made it to the top of the tree," Sasuke announced. Yup, even me! I practiced some more, and now I'm really good at my chakra control.

"Good!" Kakashi-sensei praised. "Then starting tomorrow, all of you genin can start protecting Mr. Tazuna."

"Yes, sir!"

**I've been updating a lot of this story lately. Sorry for not updating my other story, since I'm going to have to return the Naruto book soon. T.T Yeah, I got it from the library. I have to return it next week! X(** **Therefore, I'm trying to hurry and finish this part of the story. I can't wait for the chunin exams, I've already been preparing for that part! Yay!**

**Review! I'd love to hear from you readers!**


	14. Similar Yet Different

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Okay, readers. I'm sorry about not updating for so long :D This time, I wrote a rough draft, I hope this chapter will be better :D**

Mikotsu POV

"Well, I'm busy and sweaty from the work on the bridge, but construction is almost complete!" Tazuna said excitedly.

"Father, you and Naruto are two of a kind. Don't work yourselves to death!" Tsunami said walked over to the table with a pot of tea.

Naruto collapsed onto the table, exhausted. I laughed, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Tsunami's right, don't over exert yourself, Naruto! You too, Sasuke, Sakura." I took a seat next to Naruto. Sasuke sat across from Naruto, and Sakura sat next to Sasuke.

"Mm-hmm," Kakashi-sensei agreed.

After a few seconds of silence, Inari had tears dribbling down his cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Naruto and I asked at the same time. He blinked his eyes open.

"Why do you wear yourselves out trying? No matter how hard you train, you'll never be a natch for Gato's thugs!" Inari cried out. "You act all cool, and you talk all tough...but big strong guys like that are always too much trouble for people weaker than they are. They'll destroy you!"

All of us looked at Inari in surpirse, wonder, or a mixture of the two.

"Shut up, I'm not you and I'm not gonna lose!" Naruto replied.

"Yeah, he's got guts!" I concurred.

"Just watching you ticks me off!" Inari continued, as if Naruto and I hadn't interrupted. "This isn't your town! And you don't know a thing about me. You're always clowing around, having fun. You don't know a thing about suffering or lonliness, or what my life is like!" At this point, I snapped. This little brat is worse than Sasuke!

"Please excuse me," I growled out through clenched teeth. Better get out before I break something, or someone. I stalked away from the dinner table and into the bedroom. So I don't know anything about lonliness, huh? Brat. I've been alone since I was old enough to realize it. I've never had any family; Naruto was the only person who was close to me. True, I've had friends, but look at Naruto, he's been alone, with no friends. Well, except for maybe me. But everyone else treated Naruto like he was some kind of germ, or monster, and no one was willing to even talk to him in a conversation. Inari, you've had a father. You've even spent time with him. Be glad for what you have, Inari.

I headed for the bed and plopped down on it. I heard Naruto's voice downstairs: "So...you figure it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at you pity party? It takes a really big man to sit around and cry...you brat! You big baby!" I heard Inari gasp.

After a few seconds of silence, I heard Sakura exclaim: "Naruto! You went too far!" Yeah? Well, suck it. You wouldn't know what it feels like either. At least Sasuke kept his mouth shut; he's HAD parents as well. But not anymore.

"Hey, Mikotsu," Naruto said, entering the room. I was too engrossed in my thoughts to hear him enter.

I sat up. "Hey."

Naruto sat down next to me, his head in his hands. I could tell he was thinking really hard, and I knew exactly his thoughts. We knew each other too well for words.

After a few minutes, Sasuke and Sakura entered the room as well.

"Hey Sakura, Sasuke," I said, a bit more calm than I was feeling. I was replied with a "hn" and "hey".

"Naruto, Mikotsu, I understand what you've been through, but please don't take it out on little Inari. He's young, he doesn't understand yet." Sakura came over to sit next to me. "Kakashi-sensei is giving him a talk right now, Naruto."

Naruto made no reply. Instead, he left the room. Sasuke took his spot as soon as Naruto exited the door.

"Did I upset him?" Sakura asked, worriedly. Finally, she's starting to care about Naruto.

I shook my head. "No, he's just thinking about his actions." I hope.

"Naruto, thinking? Psh," Sasuke scoffed. My anger level rose up again.

"Dammit, can't you be nice to him at all?" I stood up to face the Uchiha, glaring. I slapped his face. "Naruto's been trying so hard for acknowlegation! He has determination, and a strong will. He WILL be a better ninja than all of you guys someday." I stalked away, fuming.

**It's a bit short...But I was trying out what it'd be like, typing from a rough draft. Hope you guys liked it :D**

**Review! Please tell me what you thought about this chapter, I want to know if I should keep writing drafts first. Oh, and I'm getting an idea for a new story :D**


	15. Rivals

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Sorry for the wait~ This chapter is SUPER long ^.^ Hope the wait was worth it!**

Mikotsu POV

I woke up eariler than everyone else again. So early, in fact, i was barely light.

"Ugh..." I flopped onto my side, hoping to fall asleep again. My eyes widened in shock as a pair of onyx eyes met mine. And a familiar duckass hair. Only a few inches away from my face.

"Whoa, Sasuke!" I leaped back. What was he doing here, so close to me? I thought for a few seconds, then remembered. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and I were sharing the same room, due to the lack of space in Tazuna's house.

"Again?" Sasuke sat up as well. "Why do you always wake up so soon?"

"Well, I'm sorry, but you're up as well for some reason! Why is that?" I countered to cover up my embarrassment.

The Uchiha sighed. "Sakura started clinging onto my arm. She was too close to me, so I woke up."

...Wow. Talk about super senses. I guess when you're the target of almost every girl in the world, you develop a sixth sense to ward them off. It even works when you're asleep! Amazing...

"Since there is absolutely no way I can fall asleep again-"

"Same here."

"-do you want to train?" I looked at the dark-haired genin with hope. Training would definitely improve our ninja skills, and I would get to see how good this Uchiha really was in battle.

"Why not?" Sasuke started to get changed. Yay! I turned around, away from him, and changed as well. As soon as we were finished, I followed him out the door.

We kept walking until we reached the "tree-climbing forest", as I like to put it.

"So...taijutsu and ninja tools only?" I got into a fighting stance.

"Fine by me." Sasuke copied me.

For a few moments, we just stood there, analyzing each other. Then the Uchiha suddenly dashed towards me, with a speed that rivaled mine. And moving quickly and stealthily was my forte.

I jumped and used chakra to hold my feet to a tree. I took a few shuriken from my pouch and threw it at Sasuke. As soon as he made a small movement to dodge the attack, I followed the path he would follow. It's quite simple, really. To dodge my shuriken attack, Sasuke had to jump or move in a certain direction. And when he moved, he needed a direction to move to. I just landed in where he would have moved, a few seconds later. When he actually got there, I was ready to make an attack.

I struck a fist into his back. "Heh."

The Uchiha gasped. "How'd you do that?" He turned his head to face me. "How did you get here before me?"

"That's my secret," I teased him. "You'll know, if you can figure it out."

"Oh yeah?" He jumped away from me. For the next half hour, we traded taijutsu moves. Until Sasuke landed onto a tree and did a few hand signs.

"No jutsus!" I yelled at the exact same moment he chanted, "Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Dammit! That lousy cheater! I dropped to the ground, and then extended my chakra into the dirt, grinding it into a soft, yet formidable, sand. With it, I formed a sand wall, blocking out Sasuke's jutsu.

Time for a jutsu of my own then...The sand fell down in front of me. I analyzed Sasuke's approximate position, then shot the sand directly at him. He dodged it easily, of course, but that wasn't my intention. I had melted with my sand, and had reached the position where the sand was. Which was a few feet away from Sasuke.

"Sand bullets!" The sand instantly turned rock hard, and flew directly at Sasuke. Once again, I melted in with my sand. Sasuke might think he knows what I'm doing, but it's not what I really am doing.

Sasuke POV

I've seen this attack before. Mikotsu's going to go with her sand bullets, then try to get me from behind. What a one-trick pony. It's not going to work on me!

The sand bullets charged at me. At the latest possible moment, I jumped off of the branch and landed on the ground underneath me. I smirked at the Sabaku, who had undone her jutsu. To my surprise, she was smiling back at me as well.

What? Then I realized. I was being sucked into the ground! What kind of jutsu was this?

"Shit!" I tried to free myself, but the sand around my ankles was firmly holding me down.

Mikotsu dropped down next to me, but she wasn't being sucked down. I guess being the caster of the jutsu protects you from the jutsu's harm.

"Dammit, help me!" I growled. I was being sent down deeper and deeper by the second.

"Is that the best an Uchiha can do?" she teased.

"I'm gonna die if you don't end this jutsu!"

Mikotsu paused, thinking. "This is my first time using the jutsu, so I don't really know how to stop it..."

"What?" I do NOT want to die right now! Especially not before I killed my brother...

"Well, I guess I can try freeing you..." She stuck out her hand at me. I desperately grabbed onto my lifeline. Mikotsu seemed a bit surprised at my sudden agreement, but she grabbed onto my arm and started pulling.

Mikotsu POV

Damn that Uchiha is heavy! Or is it just my jutsu? Well, whatever it is, it's super hard to get him out.

Then I suddenly had an idea. I just love how I can randomly get ideas at random times. If this works, then Sasuke would survive. If not, he'd probably die within the next few minutes.

I stopped my chakra flow while pulling Sasuke out. Since this new attack worked because of leftover chakra in the ground, it might stop if I stopped the chakra flow.

Apparetly, it worked. Because when I pulled Mr. Chicken-hair again, he flew straight out of the hellhole I created.

And on top of me.

In a really awkward position.

Somehow, he managed to get his hands around my wrists. How he did that, I have no clue. His legs were around mine, so it looked like we were getting down to it. Or making out. Or something perverted like that.

Gross.

We stared at each other for a few seconds, until we realized what position we were in. Then, at the same time, our faces turned red. Sasuke's was in a darker shade of red than my hair. If I wasn't the victim, then I might've laughed.

Sasuke POV

I blushed like crazy. Ooookay...this is really awkward!

But she does look pretty cute from this view...

"Ahem."

Mikotsu's voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

"Do you plan on moving at all? Any time this week would be fine!" Her voice was layered with sarcasm.

"S-sorry..." Since when did I stutter? Damn, what is this girl doing to me?

* * *

><p><span>Sakura POV<span> (At somewhere far far away)

I yawned and woke up. What a great dream I had! Sasuke-kun had declared his love for me, and hated that Ino-pig!

I looked over to my right, and to my surprise, Sasuke-kun wasn't here. Neither was Mikotsu. Too bad Naruto was still here. Ugh.

I looked all over the house for my Sasuke-kun. However, he was nowhere to be found.

I headed over to the training forest. Maybe Sasuke-kun was training, so early in the morning! I giggle at the thought of my hardworking Sasuke-kun.

When I arrived at the clearing, my joy was squashed my horror. My Sasuke-kun was _on top_ of Mikotsu!

Mikotsu...she had said that she didn't like Sasuke-kun. How could she? I thought I could befriend her, but it turns out, she was just like Ino.

This is the end of our friendship. From now on, we will be rivals for Sasuke-kun's heart.

**Bet you didn't see that coming! Or maybe you did...I dunno ^.^**

**If you think that Mikotsu was a bit too powerful to take down the finest clan in Konoha, the Uchiha, then think again. They're still both barely trained, but Mikotsu is the daughter of the Kazekage. Yes, it makes sense that she would be really powerful from birth. And the Kazekage's children get trained from the moment they touch the world, so I thought it'd be natural for her to take down Sasuke.**

**Please review!**


	16. Idiocy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**I AM SOOOOO SORRY! It took me longer than I expected, since I kept forgetting to type this. And whenever I remembered, I always forgot where I put my notebook (it has the rough draft). I'm really really sorry. Honest.**

Sakura POV

Knowing Sasuke-kun, I made the only possible connection between my eyes and my brain.

"Mikotsu!" My infuriated voice ripped through the air. "Why are you forcing Sasuke-kun to do this?" I pointed an accusing finger at both of them.

Mikotsu POV

What in hell is she talking about?

"What?" I asked, startled. "What are you talking about? I'm not forcing Sasuke to do this!" Then, realizing that that sounded kind of wrong, I added, "I mean, it was an accident." I gave Sasuke a glare. _Get off._

He did just that.

"It was an accident, Sakura," Sasuke echoed me. Hopefully, he can make things clear with Ms. Pink, who thinks I forced Sasuke to have sex with me. Yuck. You may want that, but I sure don't.

I stood up and calmly dusted off my clothes. "Sakura, Sasuke can prove to you that it was just an accident."

Sakura POV

I don't believe her. An accident? Don't make me laugh. I know every girl in Konoha is after Sasuke-kun. But if he himself says it's an accident, then it must be true. Because Sasuke-kun NEVER lies.

I headed over to Sasuke and Mikotsu, who both had sat down at the base of a tree. A safe distance away from each other, I noticed. If she tries to make a move on Sasuke-kun while I'm here...

"Sasuke, I'll be listening to every word you say," I said, flirtatiously. I inched closer to him. He inched back, away from me, towards Mikotsu. The dark orange-haired genin didn't move away from Sasuke-kun. I gave her a glare from behind Sasuke's back, only to find her asleep. Well, she always did sleep in the weirdest situations.

"Hmm...Sasuke-kun?" I beckoned for him to speak, considering the fact that he was looking at Mikotsu.

"Right..." He turned back to face me. My heart rate sped up. "We were training. Mikotsu started a jutsu, one that sucks the victim into the ground. I fell onto where she had initiated the jutsu and got sucked down. She tried to free me by pulling on my arms. It worked, and I accidentally landed on top of her." He paused and gave me a look. My brain melted.

"Of course, Sasuke-kun." I gave him a huge smile. I was about to lean into him, until I saw Mikotsu's head fall into my Sasuke-kun's lap.

"Eeeeeekk!" I screeched. "Get your filthy head off of my Sasuke-kun!"

Mikotsu POV

"Hmm..." I twisted my head. Why was Sakura yelling? And right after I managed to fall asleep...Hm? Something smells familiar...It smells like...

Sasuke?

"Gah!" I leaped up. Why was his scent so strong?

"Ow!" I turned my head to see Sasuke, holding his cheek. He was glaring holes into me.

"What? Did I do something?" I looked from Sasuke to Sakura. She was glaring at me as well. Great. I probably damaged her "Sasuke-kun".

"Whatever..." I heard Sasuke mutter. With one word from him, Sakura immediately forgave me for whatever I did to her "precious Sasuke-kun". Yay for me!

* * *

><p><span>Mikotsu POV<span>

"We're off, Tsunami," Tazuna said as Sasuke, Sakura, and I prepared to leave with him. Naruto was still asleep after his extreme training yesterday, so Kakashi-sensei and us three were leaving without him. Is HE gonna throw a fit once he realizes we left...

We left Tsunami's house and arrived at the bridge, only for a shock to meet our eyes.

"What?" Tazuna cried. Before us lay dead bodies of the men that were working on the bridge.

"What happened?" Tazuna gently grabbed a the closest man's body. "What could have...?"

His reply was barely audible, but all of us ninja caught it with our trained hearing: monsters.

As soon as the word reached our ears, Kakashi-sensei gave me a look. I nodded, and looked for a good place to hide.

_Flashback_

_"Mikotsu, please come over here for a second." Kakashi-sensei beckoned me over to him._

_"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked, surpirsed. Did he notice that Sasuke, Sakura, and I left this morning? Is that what he wanted to talk to me about? No; if he did, he wouldn't just call me over alone._

_"Mikotsu." Kakashi-sensei squatted down until he was eye level with me. "I know you're great at hiding, stalking, those kind of skills. So, if anything happens today, I want you to hide and be our backup. Because I don't think Zabuza would be expecting reinforcements, considering we're a long way away from Konoha." _

_I nodded. "Yes, sir," I replied smoothly. I wasn't worried at all. I was sure that nothing out of the ordinary was going to happen, since karma had punished me this morning. Probably because I slapped Sasuke yesterday. And yelled at him. Gah..._

_End Flashback_

I grimaced at my confidence this morning. Looks like karma isn't through with me yet.

**I'm not sure when the next chapter is going to be out, since Registration for school is coming up soon, which means...PAPERWORK. Ugh...**

**Please review! I'll try to update sooner, but no guarantees.**


	17. Haku

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

Sasuke POV

I tensed up as I noticed Kakashi-sensei give Mikotsu the look. I had overheard their conversation this morning, so I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen.

"They're coming!" Kakashi-sensei suddenly gelled. I grabbed a kunai from my pouch and held it close. Sakura reached for a kunai aw well, along with Kakashi-sensei.

"Master Kakashi!" Sakura cried. "That man we met...this is his Hiding in the Mist Technique, right?"

I shuddered, then started sweating a bit when Kakashi-sensei nodded.

"Been a while, Kakashi. I see you've got those brats along as well, the poor boy's trembling again."

_No, _I told myself. _You've been training for this moment, so you don't have to be afraid. Let's move. _I gripped my kunai tighter._  
><em>

Suddenly, multiple apparitions of Zabuza appeared in a circle around us. "I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch!" I half-lied. I _did_ want a rematch.

Kakashi-sense gave me a grin. "Go ahead, Sasuke."

_Focus...focus all the chakra in my feet..._ I prepared myself and dashed, kunai outstretched. I raked through all of the Zabuza clones within seconds.

_There..._ I was pleased with myself. The clones changed into water and splashed at my feet.

"Well! My water doppelgangers were obviously no match for you!" The demon of Kirigakure stepped out from the thickening mist to face us. "It seems the brats have matured into worthy rivals, eh Haku?" The masked kid we saw earlier appeared beside Zabuza.

"Indeed!" Haku agreed.

"Looks like I was right," Kakashi-sensei commented after a pause. "Our mysterious masked friend is indeed playing on Zabuza's side."

"He has nerve, showing up like this!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I'll take him on," I growled. "That was quite a show you put on last time, but we're onto you now...and I hate actors!"

"Sasuke's so cool!" Sakura squealed. Really? At a time like this you _still _fangirl me? Oh, Kami, please save me!

Suddenly, the masked kid appeared in front of me. _What? _How did he do that? He held a senbon needle in one hand, ready to attack me. As he swung, I gripped my kunai and repelled his attack.

Mikotsu POV

_Yes! Good position, Sasuke! Go down a tad...yes! Step to the left...good._

I watched Sasuke and Haku duel before me. Well, actually, I was stuck under the bridge, held on by my sand. I had formed a third eye with some leftover sand from the gourd I had strapped on my hip(I'm not sure if I mentioned the gourd before, but it goes on her hip, attached by a belt. And it a lot smaller than Gaara's), disabling my left eye's optic nerve and reattaching it onto the sand eyeball. I don't know how I knew how to do it, but I just knew. Must've been something I picked up as a little kid. Not that I remember much.

"I don't want to have to kill you, but you won't leave quietly, will you?" I heard Haku's voice.

"Don't be stupid," Sasuke's strained voice replied instantly. Haku must be pretty good to wear out the last of the Uchiha. Hell, he's not bad at all. Pretty good, actually.

Sasuke POV

I struggled to keep Haku's senbon back. "Don't be stupid."

"Just as I thought..." Haku replied. "However, you won't be able to match my speed for long, and I've already laid the groundwork for two attacks."

"Two attacks...?" I echoed in wonder.

"Firstly, there's water splashed all around us. Secondly, I've trapped one of your hands with this parrying move..." Haku held up his free hand. "...which leaves you only one hand free to defend yourself from my attacks!" Haku started makig sighs with just one hand.

_What? With just one hand, he's...!_

"Secret Art of Water: Thousand Stinging Needles of Death!" Haku stomped his left food on the water twice. Suddenly, the water rose up and turned into spikes, all directed at me.

"Sasuke!" I heard Sakura's cry, along with a less noticeable one under me. _Mikotsu?_

_Come one...Remember the training. Focus all my chakra in the soles of my feet! _Just as the needles were about to hit me, I sprang up and threw some shuriken at my opponent. Haku jumped back to avoid my attack, as I knew he would. Using Mikotsu's trick, I had predicted where he would land, so I got there first.

"You're not that fast." I smirked. Haku gasped, and turned to face me. "Now you're the one who has to worry about defending yourself from my attacks."

**Deh, I'm probably not going to be updating my other stories in a while, I kinda like this one ^_^**

**Don't forget to review!**


	18. Stealth's Important Unless You're Naruto

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Right...sorry about not updating for so long. I thought I had written it, but I hadn't. :P Then computer broke down, aka restarting the whole system -_-**

Sasuke POV

I lept back from Haku, grabbed a kunai in each hand, then swung my right fist with kunai at him. Haku raised his arm in defense, but instead of hitting him with the kunai, I twisted the grip at the last second to throw it. As I expected, Haku ducked down to prevent getting hit. As soon as he hit the ground, my leg was already up to aim a kick at his face/mask. Which I gladly did. Haku had no time to dodge the attack.

He flew back, and landed on the ground with a thump. Zabuza's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're fast. I'm faster." I couldn't help but gloat a bit. If only Mikotsu could see me right now. I had already mastered her technique during our training session this morning, after seeing it a few times.

"You had that coming for underestimating my team and name-calling." I heard Kakashi-sensei's voice behind me, with a hint of pride in it. "He may not look like much, but our Sasuke is the top-rated rookie from all of Konohagakure. Sakura's our sharpest mind, and Mikotsu's our stealthiest kuniochi. Last but not least, let's not forget our own comedy ninja - the maverick show-stopper, the one and only Naruto!"

I looked over at Zabuza for his reaction. Surprisingly, he wasn't daunted at all. It seemed as if he didn't even hear Kakashi-sensei. The demon of Kirigakure started chuckling. "Hehehehehe..."

I looked at him, confused.

He turned his gaze to his follower. "Haku...Do you understand, if this goes on, you could end up dying at the very person you sought to spare?"

Haku slowly rose up. "Yes...I do. What a pity..." The air suddenly felt a whole lot colder around me. Haku made a hand sign. Suddenly, the water behind me rose up. In fact, water was rising and solidifying around me, at all sides.

"Secret art of Water...Ice Crystal Magic Mirror Technique!" The water around me had hardened into ice mirrors and formed a circle around me, enclosed even at the top.

_Shit. I'm screwed._

Mikotsu POV

I released my spying jutsu. Time for action.

I sent out a steady stream of sand from my gourd beneath me, allowing me to float in mid-air. My sand carried me to the battlefield, where Haku had stepped into the mirrors. Sasuke was still trapped inside, probably trying to find a way out.

How can I free him? Sure, I don't like him, but I can't watch a comrade die right in front of me!

Suddenly, Haku's image in the mirror moved. Without thinking, I shot out my sand to protect Sasuke. In less than a second, the sand had formed a dome, shielding the Uchiha from the needles that Haku had just sent. His needles clattered harmlessly to the ground.

_Score!_

Sasuke POV

Suddenly, something pierced my shoulder. _Dammit!_

Before I could see what hit me, I had sensed more attacks incoming. I raised my arms in defense, since I couldn't tell where it was going to come from. Haku's image was in all the mirrors, so I could get hit from any angle.

When nothing hit me, I slowly peeked out from my arms.

_Sand?_ A dome of sand was protecting me!

_Mikotsu's here!_

Mikotsu POV

As soon as the attack ended, I released my sand shield around Sasuke. But the moment my sand came back to me, Haku sent out another wave of needles, even faster than before.

_Shit! _I sent out my sand to defend Sasuke once more(Poor guy. Can't survive a second without me.), but only managed to block a few of the needles from the more serious areas.

"Gyah!" Sasuke covered his bleeding arms. He was bleeding from the legs, too, as well as the shoulders and cheeks.

"Sasuke!" I heard Sakura's cry from the opposite direction. She ran towards Sasuke and threw a kunai, attempting to destroy a mirror. However, Haku partly came out of his mirror to catch the kunai.

Suddenly, a shuriken came out of nowhere to hit Haku's mask, causing a long gash.

"Ugh!" He came out of this mirror and collapsed onto the ground.

"Who...?" Sakura trailed off. I sure didn't throw that.

_Poof! _A puff of smoke appeared beside Haku's ice mirrors. The smoke lifted a bit to show a blonde genin.

"Naruto Uzumaki! At your service!"

...That idiot. Doesn't he know the concept of stealth?

**This was a bit short (I think), but I hope it was good. ^_^**

**Please try to review, I'm not sure when I'll be next updating, since school is starting in a week T.T**


	19. Very Quick Authors Note

**Really quick author's note, do you guys think I should finish the fight, or skip directly to the chuunin exams? cuz if we skip to the exams, i can get this stuff done! but if i'm doing zabuza's fight, i'm gonna have to get the book checked out from the library. so plz choose in your review for this chappie!  
><strong>


	20. Time Skip

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything associated with it!**

**Okay, so, I'm skipping ahead to after the fight between Zabuza and Team7, it's probably going to be a series of one shots or stuff like that, until the chunin exams (it's in july, remember, and they have to complete a bunch of missions first).**

Mikotsu POV

Walking away from Kirigakure after staying there for so long seemed wrong. I waved goodbye to Inari, just as the two knuckle heads (huh, wonder who?) started crying waterfalls. I chewed on a bit of chocolate I had stolen from a store just as we left. Well, I'm not really a pickpocket or something, but, hey, I left some change somewhere, if he knew where to look.

"Come on, Naruto, don't cry!" I whispered into his ear. "You're a big guy now!"

He sniffed. "I'm not crying!"

I sighed. Liar.

"So, Sasuke, what did it feel like when you got stabbed in the throat? Did it hurt?" I half-teased him. But I was curious too. What DID it feel like?

"It...was painful," he replied, giving me a side glance.

"Uh huh..." Totally. Yeah, of course it'd hurt!

"Sasuke-kun! Don't waste your time talking to her!" Sakura cried, trying to grab onto Sasuke's arm. He shook her off.

"Don't touch me," he said coldly, but Sakura had hearts in her eyes when he said that. Huh? Confused...But who cares, I'm gonna continue teasing him.

"Why not?" I said, in a really high pitched voice. "Why can't I touch you?" To emphasize my point, I grabbed his other arm. "Sasuke-kun..." I made puppy eyes at him. This was probably gonna bite me in the ass later on.

He gave me a look, between curious, pissed, and embarrassed. "Whatever..." He looked away, but allowed me to keep being attached on his arm. I caught sight of a blush as he turned away.

Now it was my turn to look embarrassed. Was he leading me on? He probably knew I was joking, being the ultra-smart Uchiha he was. Or maybe the joke's on me, making it look like I really did like him, or maybe he was trying to piss Sakura off, or maybe he-

"Mikotsu-chan!" Naruto came up on my other side, giving me a sad look that I knew only too well. "Don't you love me too?"

I grinned. "Of course!" I clung my other arm onto Naruto's, so that I had both guys on my arms. And Sakura, well, she was still trying to get Sasuke's attention, although he obviously doesn't like her. Naruto and Sasuke were complete opposites, Naruto being cheery and Sasuke being emo. Such an emo kid!

* * *

><p>"Konoha! We're back!" I yelled through the opening gates. I missed my apartment house. Especially my bed.<p>

"So we have," the emo prince said. All of us genin stood outside to admire the beauty of Konoha. It really was pretty.

Kakashi-sensei strode right past us. "Let's get going now..."

"Yes sir!" I grinned, then dashed in. "Let's get to the academy, Naruto! Let's visit Iruka-sensei and tell him all about our mission!"

"Yeah!" Naruto followed me, close behind. It seems that my hyperness rubbed off on Sasuke, and he grudging followed as well. Which means Sakura came too. Almost wish she hadn't.

All of us dashed through the streets, apologizing to people we bumped into. "Sorry!" "I'm really sorry!" "I'll fix it later for you!" "Gomenasai!"

Finally, after two upturned stands and nearly twenty people hit, we reached the academy.

"This really takes me back..." I remembered my first academy day, when I found out that almost no one was talking to Naruto. In fact, no one was anywhere close to him. I was a bit late that day, so I took the seat next to Naruto. We instantly became friends, and I found out that Naruto really hated Sasuke. So I started stalking him, finding out where he lived and why all the girls loved him. And I did pity him, but I can't believe all the girls would fall for someone like him. I mean, he's not that great, or so I thought a few weeks ago. The days in Kirigakure made me realize that he wasn't like that. He didn't like the attention, and it seems that he's just naturally talented due to his Uchiha blood. But I can still best him. In fact, I already have. Smirk smirk.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto's screaming jolted me out of my reminiscing. He ran up to Iruka-sensei and gave him a huge hug on the waist, then let go after a while.

"Hello Iruka-sensei," I said, more casually. Sasuke nodded in greeting, then Sakura came over as well.

"Hey, Naruto, Mikotsu! You too, Sakura and Sasuke." Iruka-sensei grins at me, and I can't help but feel like we're a family; Iruka's my dad, and Naruto's my brother. But that feeling only ends too soon, when I realize I don't have a family. Then I mentally slap myself and remind myself: Naruto IS my brother, Sasuke's my ally, if not friend, in every way, Sakura _was_ like a little sister to me, and Iruka-sensei is the father to all of us. We were one big family. Oh, and I guess Kakashi-sensei can be the grandfather.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto's three followers came over, the one in the lead was Konohamaru. He's the only one I remember.

"Big sis Mikotsu!" Konohamaru came over and gave a me a hug. I returned the hug.

"Oh, Konohamaru, how much I missed you! We nearly got killed in action!" I cried fake tears, my voice rising with each sarcastic word. Well, Sasuke did almost get killed, but the rest of us were all relatively safe. Just a couple hundred scratches here and there.

"Really?" Konohamaru's eyes became as wide as saucers, then squinted. "You're joking, aren't you?"

"No joke," I replied, going back to drag Sasuke over by the arm. He was like a dead weight, refusing the move unless I pulled him. When I reached Konohamaru, I pulled Sasuke's collar down a bit, making him flinch.

"What are you doing?" he asked coldly. I replied with a quick glare, then poked his neck.

"See these red spots, Konohamaru? He nearly got killed with senbon needles!" I knew I was exaggerating, but oh well.

Konohamaru's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. Okay...maybe I shouldn't've been exaggerating it that much...

"Okay, nevermind then..." I sighed. "It was just a joke. Sasuke's fine. He wasn't close to dying at all." Konohamaru nodded quickly, then went off to pester Naruto.

While I was chatting with Konohamaru, Iruka-sensei had finished talking with Naruto and Sakura. He headed over to Sasuke and me. I smiled at my sensei for the past few years.

"How are you and Sasuke getting along?" He smiled back.

"We're fine, actually," I lied brilliantly. "I do believe that he is strong, but I think he should stop being a stuck up snob. Which I hope he has." I grinned hugely to finish my threat.

Iruka-sensei smiled shakily at me. "All right...How about you, Sasuke?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke replied, with a hint of a smile touching his features. I swear, if he smiled more often, he would look so much better.

Iruka-sensei nodded happily, then left to teach his next class.

And I got another one of my light bulb ideas.

**Hum dee dum...Whoever guesses Mikotsu's idea can get a prize ;) (Hint: Right now, it's May)**

**Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything associated with it!**

**Ah, the July thingy...that's when the tests are. Right now, it's May, as in when these events are taking place ^_^ Sorry if it confused ya guys**

**So sad no one guessed it...  
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Mikotsu POV

"Hey Naruto!" I waved him over. He came over, and I gathered my three fellow genin together.

"Tomorrow's Iruka-sensei's birthday, right?" I whispered eagerly. "So maybe we can give him a gift or something, like a party! How about it?" Before I even finish talking, Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, believe it!" He pumped his fist in the air, and then started jumping up and down. I slammed my arm onto his shoulder, just as Sakura dragged his other arm down. I looked at her in surprise, but she looked away from me. And she used to be so nice. Sigh.

"So, Sakura? What about you?" I ask casually. She shrugged, then said, "Fine."

I nodded, then faced the calm Uchiha. "And you?"

He gives me a glare. "Count me out."

I gape at him. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

How's that for lame?

"Yeah? Too bad." I grinned evilly. "You are going to participate, or I'll show a picture of you, half-naked, to every girl in Konoha. And give them instructions to your house." Years of stalking him has paid off. And the good thing was, he never knew! Can you believe it? The last Uchiha, being stalked by a girl (not a rabid fangirl), and he doesn't even notices. Psh.

Sasuke's eyes widened, then slowly relaxed. "As if you have a picture of me." He sounded pretty confident, but that wouldn't last very long.

"Wanna bet?" I place my hand out. "If I do, you have to do as I say for a whole week."

Sasuke actually grinned, although it was full of murderous intent. "And if you don't, you'll have to do what I say for two weeks." He took my hand in his, and I could literally imagine his fangirls going crazy.

"Deal." We shook on it. Poor boy. Doesn't know what he's getting himself into.

I grabbed his hand. "Let's go then. Oh, Naruto, Sakura, you guys can come too, since we're going to be planning everything." I beckoned for them to come, and Naruto took the lead as we headed towards our apartment.

* * *

><p>"Naruto!" I cried in exasperation. He lost the keys to his room again. Not for the first time, not the second, not even the sixth time! It was nearly his twenty-seventh time. And since Naruto and I live together, he occasionally gets to keep the keys.<p>

I was so mad that I could've destroy the whole section of the wall. But I had enough sense not to. Once, when Naruto and I were training in the apartment house, I had broken a window. Obviously, I had fixed it, but not before the people underneath us filed some complaints about us training in the house.

"Gah..." I summoned some chakra and molded the sand in my gourd into a key, similar to the one Naruto lost. I stuck the key into the lock, and it worked.

"I was afraid it wouldn't..." I mumbled sheepishly as I walked in. The smell of instant ramen greeted me. It was probably the best-smelling thing in all of Konoha. Maybe second to mochis. I loved mochi.

Sasuke and Sakura followed me, and Naruto came in last. He carefully locked the door as we went in, and I made the sand go back into the gourd.

"So guys," I said as I plop down on the ground. Everyone else joins quickly. "What do you guys want to do for Iruka-sensei's birthday?" Then I suddenly remember the deal I made with Sasuke.

"Oh! Yeah!" I dashed away into my room and frantically searched for the Uchiha's photos. Finally, after a few minutes and a couple loud bangs, I found it under my bed. I checked and double checked to make sure that those were the ones I was looking for. Yup, it was.

I went back into the living to find Naruto trying to flirt with Sakura, who was trying to flirt with Sasuke, who was ignoring her. Sasuke almost gave a sigh of relief when he saw me, until I flashed the pictures at him. There were six in total.

"Sasuke!" I said playfully, and made my way over to him. "You know what these are, right?" Ouch. Keeping my voice high like Sakura's hurt. How does she do it?

His eyes widened in surprise, then tried to snatch the photos away from me. My sand jumped up to whack his wrist away.

"Fast, but not enough!" I teased in a singsong voice. I threw one at Sakura, and stuffed the rest in my pocket.

"OMG!" Sakura squealed. Ouch. My ears AND my throat in one day. I turned to face my attacker. She had promptly fainted to the ground, with hearts in her eyes.

I mentally slapped myself. Perhaps I shouldn't've showed her it? Oh well...Too late now.

"Where did you get these?" Naruto came over, curious. He was holding the photo of Sasuke taking his shirt off, facing away from the camera. If he wasn't a total jerk, I might - ahem, MIGHT - think that he looked hot. But he is, so he's not. (AN: if confused, reread prior sentence)

"Yes, where did you get these?" Sasuke calmly leaned over my shoulder to peak at the photos, but I could tell he was raging inside.

"I have my ways." I grinned slyly. No need to tell him I've been stalking him for years! "But anyways, you have to do as I say for a whole week."

"Yeah, yeah." His Uchiha pride prevented him from refusing. Go Uchiha pride!

Time for me to make his life a living hell for the next week.

* * *

><p><em>Day 1<em>

"Tell me why I'm doing this again?" Sasuke growled out through clenched teeth. I was forcing him to go into public, knowing that he hates publicity. Did I forget to mention that almost every girl in Konoha is drooling pools when they see him? And for some reason, I don't like it when they do. Don't ask me why.

"Where do you want to go, Sasuke-kun?" I said in a high-pitched girly voice, ignoring him. I've been practicing that nauseating voice, so I've become really good at it. And I also got that annoying "Sasuke-kun" down.

"Back home," he said immediately.

"Oh, but you're spending the day with me, aren't you?" I tried to fake tears, but I completely botched that. So, instead, I started acting like myself. "No, really. You have to do as I say for a week. We agreed on that."

Sasuke turned his head away, so I couldn't see his reaction. Not one bit.

"Hey! How about we go to the mochi shop!" I exclaimed, knowing that he has no clue what I'm talking about.

Sasuke turned and gave me a half-hearted glare. "I think I liked you better when you were ignoring me. Now you just feel like a fangirl to me." He gave me a look so full of disgust, I actually flinch.

"S-sorry..." I looked at the ground, tears threatening to burst out. But I told myself that I was NOT going to cry in front of the Uchiha, especially not when my reputation depended on it. Well, not exactly, but still...Did he really think of me like one of his fangirls? I thought I was a bit more than that...perhaps as a companion? Not for life, probably, but just for now...

Sasuke POV

When Mikotsu apologized, I felt a bit bad. I mean, I don't hate her...I don't think of her as one of my fangirls, I knew that this was just an act, but I couldn't help but say that. And now I wished I hadn't. I have got to keep my guard up around her. When I'm with my fangirls, I rarely show my feelings, but with her...it's...different, I suppose. I can't seem to keep my defenses up; my feelings always leek through a tiny crack in my mental wall, then my wall collapses as a giant wave of feelings swallow me. I knew this was my fault, so I had to fix it up.

"I'm...um...sorry," I whispered softly, so low that it might as well not have been heard. But her keen, trained ears heard the almost inaudible sound I made.

She looked up from the ground, and gave me a small smile. "Awesome." Her smile widened. "Let's go then." She grabbed my wrist, and I can't help but feel a bit of pleasure from the contact.

**I STINK at romance -_- I about as romantic as dirt (kinda quoted from the Hunger Games), and this chapter was kind of hard for me to write down. But I think I did kinda well? No? Oh well. I'll keep working on that. And I just realized that the next few chapters are going to be short stories, until the chuunin exams. Cuz they're going to need something to do.  
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**Review! Please do! Even if you don't have an account, I'd like it if you can. Cuz I'm gonna need all the help I can get. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**This chapter's back in past tense.**

_Day 2_**  
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Mikotsu POV

"Naruto!" I waved at him, then dashed over. "Where's Iruka-sensei?"

"He's teaching a class right now." He pointed at a room in the back. "I think he should be done soon."

I smiled, then asked, "Do you think this is a good present?" I showed him the shadow shuriken.

"I want one too!" Naruto cried as he took it from me. "Where did you get it? How much did it cost?"

"It's in the local weapons store - don't you visit there at all? And I think it might cost a bit too much for you to buy..." As soon as I said that, Sasuke started searching his pockets. Sucker. I exchanged a gleeful look with Naruto. He smirked back.

"Hey, you stole some of my money." The Uchiha stalked over and glared at me. I grinned and stuck out my tongue.

"Too bad for you, sucker! I must be really good that you didn't even detect me!" I high-fived Naruto. Then we started laughing, knowing that once again, we've out scored Sasuke, although it was mostly my doing. But Naruto told me that he usually brings his wallet whenever he goes outside. So guess it's 50/50.

While we were busy laughing, all the academy students have come out.

"Let's go, guys! Operation: Iruka-sensei's Birthday Gift!" I grabbed the shuriken from Naruto, and we dashed into the academy building. Sasuke and Sakura followed, with me in the lead and Naruto right behind me.

* * *

><p><em>Day 2<em>

"Ready?" I whispered. We were pretending that this was a real mission. We were hiding, preparing to deliver Iruka-sensei his present and give him an awesome birthday surprise. We even got those transmitter thingies that you use as a headphone thing. I was on a wall on the outside of the building, hiding on the window of Iruka-sensei's classroom.

"I'm in place," Naruto's voice replied.

"Same here." Sakura and Sasuke said soon after.

"Let's go." I formed a sand eyeball with the sand and positioned it behind Iruka-sensei. He was sorting out papers on his desk. Making sure that he couldn't see me, I threw a kunai at a wall, then quickly jumped down from the window and onto the ground a few levels below. I would've broken a bone, but the sand softened my landing.

Iruka POV

I was casually sorting papers when a kunai whizzed a few inches from under my nose. Would've gotten me a double scar there if it was a few inches higher.

I snapped my head at where the attack had come from, but no one was in that direction. Is it an enemy ninja? I peeked out the window, but nothing as out of the ordinary. All the academy students were playing around, showing no sign of a potential danger.

Suddenly, strong yet warm arms wrapped itself around my waist.

"Happy birthday, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto's loud voice greeted me. I turned to find him giving me a big hug. Sakura was right behind him, holding something behind her back.

"Thanks Naruto." I patted his head, grinning. He just brightened my day, remembering my birthday. I looked up, but no one was on the ceiling.

"I expected that all four of you guys would be here..." And that Mikotsu, being the stealthiest genin, would be attached to the ceiling like a spider. But guess not. "Where's Mikotsu and Sasuke?"

A shower of sand answered my question. I looked behind me to find Mikotsu floating on a pile of sand outside the window. So that's how she threw the kunai. All she had to do was drop the sand, and boom. Gone.

"Hello Mikotsu. Where's Sasuke?" I grinned. The talented Uchiha would be the hardest to find, considering that he aced the test of hiding. Well, Mikotsu got just a little bit better than him on that one, since no one else thought of jumping around from trees as hiding, but it worked like a charm.

"He's here, you just need to find him." She made a hand sign, and transformed into Sasuke.

"Yeah. It's me. Happy birthday, Iruka-sensei." Sasuke leaped from the sand and into the building.

I blinked. And again. Were these really the kids that I taught last year? And pulling that...

"It was my idea!" Naruto smirked. "I knew you'd fall for that one, Iruka-sensei!"

I laughed along with him. "So where _is_ Mikotsu?"

"She's in the wall!" Naruto pointed to the back wall. Looking from so far away, it looked normal. But when I peered closer, I could see a thick layer of sand covering the whole section of the wall, but it blended really well. Anyone, even Naruto, could hide under the sand and not be seen.

The sand dropped down and Mikotsu showed up. "That transformation jutsu with Sasuke really shocked you, huh?"

I laughed. "When did you get there?"

Without replying, she did a hand sign, and Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke.

My eyes widened. "That was clone jutsu _and_ a transformation jutsu? You've really improved!" First doing a clone jutsu, then the transformation jutsu into Sasuke... "But then where's the real Sasuke?" Mikotsu did another hand sign, and transformed into Sasuke.

I walked over to this Sasuke. "This one's real, right?" I asked, guarded.

Sasuke glared at me. Yup, this one's the real one. "Mikotsu's outside. She should be coming in by now." As if practiced, Mikotsu dashed in the door, slightly out of breath.

"Happy birthday, Iruka-sensei!" Mikotsu, Naruto, and Sakura all cried at the same time. Sasuke just said it normally, as if he couldn't care less. But I could tell he was pleased that the prank worked so well.

Mikotsu walked over to the kunai stuck in the wall, and pulled it out. Then, all the sand used flew back into her gourd.

"Holding all the sand in place from so far away, while running, was really hard." She walked up to me and gave me a hug, then Sakura headed over too.

"Here's a present, Iruka-sensei!" she said brightly, holding a folded shadow shuriken.

"Thanks guys," I replied, smiling. These are the best kids I've ever had in my class.

I grinned and asked, "So each of you guys had a job?"

Mikotsu nodded quickly. "I first throw the kunai, then Naruto does a flying tackle pounce and Sakura follows. By that time, I'm already in the school building, running all the way up. When you ask for me and Sasuke, I use the sand to rise up my clone, which I've already made before the operation. Then you ask for Sasuke, and the clone transforms into him, then you ask for me again, and Sasuke, who's using a transformation jutsu, is positioned behind the wall when you left the classroom a few minutes ago." I do remember doing that, making a report to the Hokage during my break.

Naruto nodded eagerly, then continues for Mikotsu. "So then, I tell you where 'Mikotsu' is, which is really Sasuke. Then he pretends to disable the clone jutsu, which is actually Mikotsu's doing, since it's her clone. Then you should be asking for Sasuke again, who is actually pretending to be Mikotsu. He turns back into himself, then the real Mikotsu shows up." As an after thought, Naruto added, "Sakura's our backup, since she's good at genjutsu. But we didn't mess up, so that's good." He grinned. "It was mostly my idea!"

I grinned again. "When did you get so smart, Naruto?"

* * *

><p><em>Day 2<em>

Mikotsu POV

"That was a real success, huh guys?" I asked gleefully, skipping from one foot to another. "It worked awesomely!"

Sasuke nodded in agreement, and Naruto grinned. But Sakura looked a bit angry. "I didn't get to do anything! It was mostly you and Sasuke, even Naruto was in charge of distraction! All I was was backup!"

I gave her a worried look, then turned to Sasuke. _Calm her down, _my eyes said.

Sasuke sighed and walked next to Sakura. "Sakura, if it makes you feel better, I think you were very important in the operation."

Sakura giggled. "Do you really think so, Sasuke-kun?"

_Of course not, bitch._

"Yes, I really do, Sakura." At this point, I excused myself for a laughing break.

* * *

><p><em>Day 3<em>

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!" I practically leaped over to Sasuke. We were outside the training area, the first ones to arrive.

He rolled his eyes. "What do you have in mind for me this time, Mikotsu_-san_?"

I laughed. "That -san part was a nice touch, Sasuke-_kun_." Then I was all business. "You, my friend, are going shopping for clothes with me today." Before he could protest, I added, "Not for me, for you! You could use some new clothes." I checked him out with my eyes. Not exactly like, in love checked him out, but just a thorough look.

Sasuke raised and eyebrow, as if he was waiting for it to get worse.

"You know me too well, Sasuke." I smirked. "We are shopping for..." Dun dun dun... "A dress! For you." I winked.

Sasuke backed away from me. "No."

"Yes! You have to do as I say for this week, remember?" I jumped over to him and grabbed his arm. "Let's go!"

But he stayed, rooted to the spot. "But Kakashi's going to be arriving soon."

I rolled my eyes. "Who are you kidding? Everyone knows that Kakashi-sensei won't be here until well past sunhigh! Let's gooo!"

* * *

><p><em>Day 3<em>

"Would you like this one, Sasuke_-kun_?" I asked teasingly. I held up a bright pink strapless dress with breast padding. "Of course you would! Let's go try it out on you!" I pulled him all the way to the dressing rooms, where people were staring at us strangely.

"Um, miss, can I have a room for him?" I asked politely as we reached the dressing rooms.

"Of course..." The lady looked at us strangely. "Um...is there something I should know about why a guy is trying on a dress?"

I laughed, and whispered, "It's a dare." Close to the truth, but not too close.

The lady chuckled nervously, probably because Sasuke looked like he was going to kill both of us.

"This way please." She led us to an open room. I handed Sasuke the dress as he entered grudgingly. "Come out so I can see you with it, okay?"

As soon as he closed the door, I burst into giggles, and clutched at my side.

Sasuke POV

Ugh...I KNOW I'm going into a death trap. I could hear Mikotsu laughing outside, then her dropping onto the floor.

I sighed. Might as well get this over with. I shook the dress a few times, then stripped to my boxers. I took the dress, made it face the right way, then put it on.

"Holy..." I couldn't believe that Mikotsu actually got me a dress with breast padding, making me look even MORE female. And it had frills at the ends. I can't believe her.

"Sasuke, ya done?"

"Yeah, sure." I opened the door and stepped out, my teeth bared in a snarl.

Mikotsu POV

I could have dropped dead right here and now. Sasuke was sooo feminine! The dress hugged his figure until his knees, then flared out a few inches. The shoulders were bare, giving him a pretty cute look.

Sasuke glared at me, then ask, "What?"

I laughed. "Can I do your hair?" That would make him look even more feminine.

**OMJ I love torturing Sasuke! Kyah! **

**If you loved this chapter, review! If you didn't like it, review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**I'm going to pretend that the other ninja arrive at Konoha sometime in the end of May, and stay there until July or something. So this is the chapter that sets everything in motion I guess...The one everyone's been waiting for ^_^**

**And please assume that Sabaku is the sand sibs' last names, not a title given to Gaara. Cuz they need last names, right?  
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_Day 3_**  
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Mikotsu POV

I asked a lady that worked at the store for some cosmetic products and such, since this WAS a store that specialized in beauty and stuff. She said sure, and led me to a room full of girly stuff. Not that I really liked it, but I knew how to work these.

"Sit down, Sasuke-kun," I said with mock pleasantness while taking the chair out. "Please wait while I organize these stupid beauty products." I grabbed a comb and some hair gel stuff.

"So Sasuke, how do you want your hair done?"

"Leave it alone."

"All right, I'll put it in pigtails." I started humming as my fingers threaded through his hair. God, were they soft! I didn't realize that I was just running my hands through his hair until Sasuke slapped my arm.

"Oh, sorry." I grabbed the comb and ran it through his hair. Yet, it stayed the way it was. I brushed through his hair furiously, trying to get it to stay down. Finally, after a few minutes, I gave up.

"What do you do to your hair?" I cried, exasperated.

Sasuke smirked. "Super Uchiha powers."

Haha. Very funny. "I'm calling Naruto over."

I used a clone jutsu, and told it to go to Training Field 3, and get the blonde over. It nodded, then left.

I sighed and sat on top of Sasuke, since there were no other chairs here.

"Ow." Sasuke glared at me through the mirror. I glared right back. Then I started playing with the frilly stuff on the dress, annoying him even more. I grinned, then stuck out my tongue at him. He grabbed my wrist, but my sand forced his hand off of my wrist.

"Um...Mikotsu?" Naruto's quizzical voice jolted me out of my dress playing. I looked up, startled, seeing him blushing. Then I realized how it must have looked to Naruto.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" I jumped up from Sasuke's lap.

"Finally," he muttered. I slapped him. "Ow."

"So Mikotsu-chan, what did you want me over here for?" Naruto asked.

I smirked. "Teach Sasuke your sexy-no-jutsu."

* * *

><p><em>Day 3<em>

Mikotsu POV_  
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"No, no, you're doing it wrong, Sasuke!" I exclaimed. I walked over from the chair to reach my two friends. "Sasuke, a girl has a fuller chest. Their stomach is flatter, and they're not as muscular as guys!" (AN: sorry if that was a bit sexist...)

"Sasuke, get this right!" Naruto cried. Once again, he showed the Uchiha how to do the sexy-no-jutsu. Sasuke tried to copy him, and actually did it better this time.

"I guess that's the best you can do..." I sighed, and grabbed his dress. "Now put this on."

He glared at me, then grudging put it on, facing away from me. This time, the dress fit better.

"That looks so much cuter." I sighed pleasantly and turned him around so that I was facing him. "Mmm...pretty good! Now let's go to the training ground..."

* * *

><p><em>Day 3<em>

Mikotsu POV

"Who's that?" Sakura asked curiously. She walked around Sasuke-kun, who was still in the sexy-no-jutsu. "I don't think I've seen you before."

I nodded. "This is...Yumi. She's my friend. Yumi, this is Sakura."

Sakura nodded with understanding. "Hello, Yumi-san."

"H-hello Sakura...san." Sasuke looked a bit uncomfortable, so I decided to help him out.

"Sakura, isn't that a nice dress?" I said kindly.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, it is! Where did you get it, Yumi-san?"

"Family heirloom," Sasuke said without hesitation.

Sakura nodded again. I think she's becoming a bobble head. Oh well. After a few seconds of the two genin chatting, I decided to intervene.

"Well, Yumi has to go now, right?" I gave Sasuke a meaningful glance. He nodded quickly. "I'll walk her home and see you later, Sakura!" I said with mock kindness. No way was I going to be nice to her when "Yumi" isn't here anymore.

Once Sasuke and I were out of earshot and hidden up a tree, Sasuke turned back into herself. Sorry, himself.

"Do not make me do that again," he said aggressively and firmly. I handed him his normal clothes that I had stored somewhere. I rolled my eyes. "When Sakura invents a jutsu for turning into a guy, I'll use it, all right?" Highly unlikely she would.

Sasuke glared at me, then jumped down, hid behind a tree, and I heard some rustling. Guess he's changing his clothes now.

I jumped down too, and landed in front of the tree Sasuke was.

"Hurry up!" I cried when he didn't come out after a few moments. A rustling above turned my head up. There was Sasuke, observing our training ground from up a tree. I jumped back up and landed beside him.

"What are you-" My exclaim was cut off with his hand thrust over my mouth. I turned to see what he was looking at. There was a guy in a black suit, and a girl with four blonde ponytails next to him. The black guy (AN: ...yeah. not being racist) was holding Konohamaru by the neck, and the girl was looking at them. Sakura was holding Naruto back from attacking the two people. A closer look at them showed that the black guy had a metal forehead protector sewed into his suit. It had a sand symbol. The girl had one too, around her neck. They didn't look too much older than me or Sasuke. So they must be genin from the Village Hidden in the Sand, which means they have to have a third guy here...the third member of the three-man squad...

I started thinking, facing the likely possibility of an ambush. I quickly let my sand loose, the thin particles searching around from warm body heat. And there it was. Right behind us.

I quickly whipped around and sent sand bullets behind us. To my surprise, they were deflected. I tried a kunai. It clattered to the forest floor, just as Sasuke threw a rock. I ignored it, and instead focused on the stranger.

"Who are you?" I hissed to the piercing darkness.

Sasuke POV

While Mikotsu started drifting her sand around - I could tell by the way she was concentrating - I paid attention to the scene under us. When the cat suit dude raised his fist to attack the little Naruto follower, I picked up a rock I had found while changing. It was a decent sized one too. I flung it at his head, but it missed and hit his wrist instead, making me look a lot better than I was.

"Who are you?" I heard Mikotsu hiss next to me.

"What are you guys doing in our village?" I asked, as threateningly as possible. The cat guy turned to face me.

"It's Sasuke!" Sakura squealed. Nice. Real nice.

"On, another little brat." The cat guy sneered.

"Get lost," I stated coldly.

"Cool!" Sakura squealed again.

"Get down here..." Cat guy said as he whipped out the strange looking thing on his back.

"Don't use the crow!" the blonde girl cried.

Mikotsu POV

I set up a formidable shield of sand around me, then scourged through the trees. Instantly, I caught a flash of red. I hid behind a tree next to the might-be invader, and peered closely.

It was a guy, his head full of red hair, a bit like mine. He was a bit taller than me, but not by much, really. He was hanging upside down, facing away from me. That gave me a perfect view of his gourd, which was similar to mine. I don't remember how I got my gourd, but I know that it was always with me, as far back as I could remember. Maybe he knows who my parents were. Maybe that's how we got our gourds. Maybe we are related. Maybe he is my brother.

I shook my head to shake clear of these wild thoughts. But it was possible, isn't it? His red hair...his gourd...

"Kankuro, don't!" His voice creeped me out. It was deep and menacing, coarse and gritty. "You're a disgrace to our entire village."

I jumped onto his tree, light as a feather. But he heard me, and sent out a shot of sand to wrap itself around my ankles. Sand...His jutsus match mine, too!

"G-Gaara..." The black guy stammered.

At this moment, I didn't care who he was, or where he was from. I just wanted to know my origin. My sand slithered into his, loosening the hold enough for me to wriggle out. I leaped towards him, and I prepared to tackle him to the ground. His sand rose to defend him. But I could do this too, and I know how the sand works. When the sand started rising, I slammed my sand into it, forcing it back down. I slammed into Gaara, too, and we collapsed onto the ground, rolling together.

When we rose up, he glared at me, so much worse than Sasuke could. I smiled back, full of coldness and menace, my head pounding.

"Who are you?" Blonde Girl asked. I turned to face her.

"Who are _you_? You're in our village, we have every right to know who you guys are!" I stood up, my earlier hope forgotten for a second. The world shook in circles. Probably due to my earlier tackle, with my head slamming onto something hard. Before I could do anything, Sasuke dropped down next to me, and held me steady. I sank gratefully into his arms, our rivalry forgotten.

"I'm Temari," Blonde Girl stated coldly. "Now who are you?"

"Mikotsu Sabaku," I replied cheerfully. All I needed was their names. Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara. I should be able to find more information from these guys easily with their names alone.

To my surprise, they looked at me with curiosity and a bit of hesitation. "Did you say 'Sabaku'?" Temari asked hesitantly.

"Yes..." I answered, confused. Sabaku DID mean desert, after all. Maybe it was a bit weird...

"That's our last names too..." Kankuro trailed off.

I digested this new piece of information. Our last names matched. Sabaku wasn't a common name here in Konoha, but it must be more popular in their village...

"But why are you here?" Sasuke asked, getting into the heart of the matter. Why _were_ they here? He let go of me, and I stood on my own.

"Haven't you heard? We're here for the chunin exams." Temari whipped out a piece of paper cockily.

"What's the chunin exam?" Naruto asked stupidly, first time speaking in a while.

"You really don't know?" Temari sighed. "Genin are sent from each village to compete with each other. It's used to maintain the skill of shinobi at similar level, and to increase friendship and understanding between nations."

"Konohamaru!" Naruto cried excitedly. "I should enter this thing too, huh?" They turned to face each other, laughing.

"Hey!" Temari exclaimed. "When you ask a question, it's good manners to pay attention when they answer it!" Well, welcome to Naruto's world. Where you never pay attention and have ramen every few hours.

"Your name's Gaara." Sasuke ignored Temari and talked directly to Gaara.

"Yes. And you are?" Gaara replied chillingly back.

"Sasuke...Uchiha." He smiled coldly back. I started making plans for the sand genin to spill anything they know about me.

"Hey! Don't you want to know my name?" Naruto asked cheerfully, totally disregarding the atmosphere here.

"No. Let's go." Redhead turned and walked away with his teammates, who followed him quickly.

Once they were out of earshot, I whispered to Sasuke, "Let's go after them." He grinned, and jumped up to a tree. I could tell he was excited for the prospect of talking with these sand guys again.

"Later, Naruto! I have something to do!" I followed Sasuke, just catching Sakura hissing, "With Sasuke!" I ignored her.

* * *

><p><em>Day 3<em>

"So, Uchiha, how's life?" I grinned easily while keeping my attention focused on the genin underneath us. They were walking, which meant that we could take it easy as well.

"Hn."

"Great."

"Hn."

"That's nice to know."

Sasuke turned to glare at me. "Shut up."

"Hn," I replied mockingly. "Hn, hn, hn, hn, hn-" Sasuke slapped me, making me stop. I glared at him. His earlier kindness in front of the foreign genin has vanished into thin air. Noooo, come back!

Sasuke gave me a quizzical look, then I realized that I had said that last part out loud. "Uh...nothing," I said, trying to look as innocent as possible. But he didn't fall for it.

"Whatever..." He looked down to notice that the sand ninja were moving away. "Hey, we're going to be entering town," Sasuke reported.

I nodded. "Let's go." We jumped down and landed on the soft leafy floor, then followed Gaara's team.

* * *

><p><span>Gaara POV<span>

Someone was following us. That much I can tell. Probably one person, maybe two. The first one was a lot noisier than the second. I could only pick up a light scent from the second one. It reminded me of something I've smelled before, a long time ago. And once again today.

"Do you think Mikotsu is our sibling? I think I remember seeing her gourd before, when we weren't even genin yet..." Temari trailed off.

Kankuro nodded, agreeing. "Yeah, I think so too. In some of the photos of when we were small, there were some parts ripped out. At first, I thought that was something related to mother, but now I think it could be that leaf genin."

Temari continued on about how Mikotsu could be part of our family while I tuned out. Really, the chances are so small that she could... But I remember her. When I do occasionally rest, her face pops up. But I've never been able to see it clearly, just a flash of reddish orange. A smiling face, directed at me, not at anyone else. Bright greenish-blue eyes, like mine. And I pretend, for just a fleeting second, that someone loves me. But reality rushes in all too soon. It's gone and I wake up. That whole process happens in less than a minute. And each time, I wish that she were real. But she isn't. And I have never seen her, except in my head.

Until now.

**I like the ending ^_^ I wrote it, rewrote it, editted it, then rewrote it again.**

**Just joking ^_^ I did it in about 10 minutes. **

**Review! And I'm working on my other story too...**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**If you guys were confused at the end, I didn't mean to say that Gaara dreams, his thoughts just wander a bit when he's half sleeping, and Mikotsu's face just pops up.**

**This chapter goes a bit into Mikotsu's past, for any of those that are curious.**

_Day 3_**  
><strong>

Gaara POV

When Temari and Kankuro rounded the corner, I stopped and confronted my stalkers.

"I know you're there," I said as coldly as possible. "Get out." I made sure to not face them, not to turn.

Someone stepped out. It was Mikotsu. But there was someone else. She didn't make the noises. Her footsteps are way to soft for that. And there could only be one person left.

"Uchiha...come out."

Reluctantly, the Uchiha came out as well and glared at me. Two can play at that game.

"Why are you following me?" I said, switching my glare to Mikotsu. She didn't even flinch.

"Because we want to talk to you." After a glare from her friend, she added, "Me, not us."

"Then talk," I said coldly, and proceeded to sit down on a rock. I don't know why I was giving her a chance, maybe because _I_ want to know my relationship to her as well.

The girl sat down next to me, so close that I could feel her body heat flowing to mine. The Uchiha sat, perched on a tree, prepared to pounce on me at any sign of violence from me. He didn't need to worry about that. If Mikotsu's sand abilities were half as good as mine, she will be fine.

"So...you're Gaara, right?" Mikotsu said cheerfully.

"...yes."

"And you can control sand too."

"...yes."

"Am I from your village?"

"...yes."

That threw her off. I wasn't sure myself, but if she appears in my thoughts, then she has to be real. So at some point, she was in the sand village. Next to me. Smiling. Not running in fear.

"And you know because?"

"You appear in my thoughts." No need to go into detail...

"Details. Now." Well, so much for that...

"...no. No details." I gave her a look that could kill. Amazingly, she rolled her eyes instead of backing away.

"Yeah, I'm used to that. Weird looks and death stares. Weird looks from when I was little, almost five. I learned to survive and forget about those people, living alone on the streets, until I met Naruto. And death looks from him-" She pointed at the Uchiha on the tree, who ignored her and looked behind us. "-and his rabid fangirls."

"...fangirls?" What are those? And who's Naruto?

"Stalkers. Usually of the opposite sex. They love you, and try to do stuff to you." Mikotsu made a face, then threw a kunai at a bush behind us.

"Who's there?" she hissed, rising up. I was amazed. I couldn't tell that anything was there, and yet she could. Someone stepped out.

"Temari..." I growled. What was she doing here? How much of our conversation did she hear?

"G-Gaara...Kankuro j-just thought you should know where we're staying for the n-night..." She shakily handed me a piece of paper with an address on it, then dashed away. I've been so used to that it doesn't matter to me anymore.

Mikotsu turned to Uchiha and gave him a big smile, like the one I remember in my head. "Thanks, Sasuke!" He nodded back.

I gave her a glare, telling her to explain what was going on. "He saw Temari. Not me." That explains a lot.

"Let's...talk about your history," I said awkwardly, changing the subject, since my conversational skills aren't good at all. If she started talking about Sasuke or someone else, I'm not sure I could follow. And I wanted to know her past.

"Let's see...um...I mentioned that I lived on the streets...oh yeah! So, I lived on the streets as a pickpocket, stealing whenever I could. I think that's it...I occasionally made trips to houses to go through the windows to steal blankets and stuff like that. And the amazing thing was? I never got caught!" She grinned again. "It wasn't that bad, actually. I liked the feeling of a threat hanging over my head every day. Going to the academy after that was lame in comparison. But then I met Naruto, and realized that he needed...support...I guess some people feel better with a friend. But I was pretty independent growing up... So I talked with him, and got to know him. Naruto is awesome. I was his fellow prankster whenever I wasn't stealing food and stuff. And I tried to help him with his schoolwork, but that was next to impossible. So I stuck with feeding us, and working on being silent, memorizing wind patterns, staying in shadows, and stalking stuff like that. Pretty cool actually." She finished her rant with a nod at me, still smiling. "What about you?"

I returned her happy mood with a glare. "Worse than yours. I was alone. No one loved me. I was the Kazekage's son."

Mikotsu looked confused. "Wouldn't being Kazekage's son be great? Like Konohamaru...he's the Hokage's son and he gets special treatment and stuff..."

I thought I should clear up on that. "I'm the jinchuuriki of one-tail."

"Jin..." Then she gasped. "I've heard of that! Yes, I have! When you live on the streets, you tend to hear a lot. I think being a jinchuuriki is a bad thing, cause whenever they talk about jinchuurikis, they have these dark looks, and they start talking about Naruto..." She paused. "Wait. What's a jinchuuriki?"

I mentally sighed, although my face was void of emotion. "A jinchuuriki is a host of a tailed demon. Like one-tail. I'm the jinchuuriki of one-tail. Ichibi."

Mikotsu nodded. "I think Naruto's a jinchuuriki too. At least, that's what I'm getting from the information I have."

We sat in silence for a while, just thinking about everything. "Wait, who's Naruto?"

"Hm? It's the blonde ninja that asked if you wanted to know his name. The bright orange one..." She grinned cheekily. "I can't believe a ninja would wear _orange_. Orange can't camouflage into anything. Black or green would be more logical." I silently agreed with her on that. If you can't camouflage, then you can't survive. Survival of the fittest, using everything available. (AN: Like Hunger Games!)

Sasuke silently dropped down. "Let's go. Or everyone else will wonder where we are."

Mikotsu nodded at him, then turned to face me. "Hey, visit us sometime, alright? I want to get to know you." She scratched out her address with a kunai on the back of the piece of paper that Temari gave me. She grinned at me, like the one in my thoughts. But this one was so...life-like. Real. Not just a random image projected into my brain.

All too soon, Mikotsu and her friend left me. Leaving me the pit of loneliness that had just opened up even more.

I glanced at the address she had scrawled onto the paper. I looked at it, and memorized hers and Temari's addresses. Tonight, I'll go visit her.

* * *

><p><em>Day 4 (Really early morning, like 1:00 am)<em>

Mikotsu POV

I sighed, sitting up on my bed. Naruto was snoring next to me, but I couldn't sleep. I've been tossing and turning for quite a few hours now, yet I still couldn't fall asleep.

I got up and changed. I kept the gourd strapped onto my belt just in case, since who knows who's going to attack me out there, and it's better to be safe than sorry. Naruto still was soundly asleep, so I opened the window and jumped out, landing on a roof panel thingy. I made my way up to the top of the building and settled down, the cold night wind rushing through my hair. I sat there, thinking about the conversation I had with my brother. Well, it's not determined yet, but he could be. I hope he is. He reminds me of Naruto. Or does Naruto remind me of him? Oh well. I like him.

"Hey."

I looked up to see the Uchiha in front of me. "Okay, what are you doing here?" I growled angrily. This was my place. Mine. This was my private area, the place where I could gather all my thoughts together and be alone. And he intruded.

Sasuke sighed and sat down next to me. "I saw you getting on the roof from where I live. Well, actually, I just saw a figure. But it was probably you, from the way you moved - silently. And it was in your direction."

A suspicious look was sent in his direction by me. "Liar. You can't see me from where you are." Then I realized that he has never invited me to his house. I should have no way of knowing where he lives. Shit.

Sasuke glared at me. "And I live where?"

I hesitated. That was enough to confirm his thoughts. "You were spying on me, weren't you? Since when?" Then he added, "That's how you got the pictures, didn't you? You were stalking me!"

I didn't know what to do. I could pretend that I don't know anything, and that everything was just a big mistake. But I realized that I've dug my own grave. There was no way that I can fake out of this one.

I sighed. "Yes, I was stalking you. But I was bored, okay? If you were me, you might have done the same thing. Every day, going to the academy, hunting for food, then doing academy homework. That's it. I needed something to do every day, so I thought following you might be fun. Considering you're the top academy ninja. I thought that it would be awesome testing my skills against you."

Sasuke said nothing for a long time, just stare straight ahead. Then he sighed and said, "I guess that's just the way you are. I guess it's just your nature to follow people and invade their privacy. I guess you can't change what you are." He looked at me, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders, choking me slightly. I didn't mind. "If that's the way you want to play, go ahead. Let's see how long you can stalk me without being found." He grinned evilly. I returned his challenge with a slap on the back.

"You'll regret it, Sasuke_-kun_."

"Is that a bet I hear, Mikotsu-_san_?"

"Of course. If I win, you have to cross dress whenever you're not on a mission."

"And if I win, you'll have to do as I say for a week, considering I have a lot of ways to get back at you." His free hand reached over to grasp mine.

We grinned deviously and shook. Just as Gaara emerged in front of us.

"Gaara! Great timing!" I reached over and pulled him to sit down on my other side. "How are you?"

He glared at me, but I think that's just his usual look. His muscles must have gotten stiff from glaring so long. "I'm fine."

Sasuke's arm shifted so that it wasn't half-choking me, but protecting me instead. I gave him a really weird look. He muttered something, and I think he said, "Screw you." He proceed to blush slightly. But I'm not complaining. He's finally showing emotion! Yay! Even if I don't love him, he's still an awesome rival.

"So, Gaara, how's preparing for the chuunin exams?" I tried to avoid the subject of our pasts. I'll worry about that later.

"I don't know. I haven't asked Baki yet," he confessed.

"Who's Baki?" I asked curiously.

"Our jonin teacher."

"Oh. Ours is Kakashi. He's great, but pretty late for everything. Including training. So we probably got half the training that everyone else got." I sighed. "I want to go to this chuunin exam thingy. Sounds fun. But we're probably not qualified enough."

"You have to have done at least eight missions," Gaara stated emotionlessly.

I instantly started counting on my fingers. "I think we had six before the Kirigakure one..." I looked at Sasuke for help.

"Counting the Kirigakure one, we have seven. Shoot, we're one mission short." Sasuke glared at the ground murderously. Almost as bad as Gaara's.

"The chuunin exam's in early July. You still have about a month," Gaara added.

"Really?" I exclaimed eagerly. "Yes! We have to have at least another mission or two by then!" I shook of Sasuke's arm and started jumping up and down. "We're going to the exams, Sasuke! We going to the exams!" I could hardly keep my excitement down. Finally, something big after nearly twelve years of nothing! "Woo-hoo!"

Sasuke smiled a bit, but it quickly faded. "That can't be it. There's something else there, isn't there."

Gaara nodded slightly. "Your jonin director has to elect your team, or you can't go."

I sat down, still elated. "Not a problem! Kakashi-sensei loves us! We'll make it for sure!" But then I realized the problem. "Damn. A regular team has three people. We have four." I started cursing under my breath. I don't think we can make it if we have four. One of us has to sit out.

Sasuke nor Gaara made any move to say anything. Great, guys.

I'm so tired...I shouldn't think this much at night anymore.

* * *

><p><em>Day 4<em>

Mikotsu POV

"Ugh..." I groaned as I flopped over on my bed. I really wish I hadn't had my midnight chat with Gaara and Sasuke. But at least now we have more info on the chuunin exams...

"Wake up, Mikotsu-chan!"

I cracked my eyes open a slit. And who do I see but Naruto. "Hey, Naru..."

Naruto started bouncing on the bed. "Hurry up, we're going to be late for training! We're meeting at the bridge!"

"Gah..." Screw training. Kakashi-sensei's not going to get there for another hour or so! "Naruto...please move."

Naruto moved and I sat up. Then I realized that I haven't changed my clothes from when I was on the roof. Wait, how did I get back to the room? I was asleep on the roof and then...what?

"Oh, shit," I muttered. I quickly got up and made sure that everything was in place. Which they were. Good. So nothing was lost.

"Okay, Naruto, let's go. I need to talk to Sasuke." I grabbed the blonde's hand and jerked him out the window. See, it's faster. Just hop onto the lower roofs and jump off. Easy.

We landed on the lower roof, then the ground, and then took off to the training ground. Sakura and Sasuke were already there.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto yelled, and went over to talk to her. Me, I went over to Sasuke.

"Okay, what happened last night? After I fell asleep, I mean." I hung my arms over the bridge, standing next to him.

"I carried you back to your room. Gaara left. That's it." He looked straight ahead, eyes skimming the water's surface. I don't think he's lying.

"That's great. What do you want to do today? We have about an hour or so until Kakashi-sensei arrives..." I looked at him.

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't care right now."

"Okaaaaaaay..." I said slowly, then sat down next to him and started sleeping. God, he's warm. I thought he'd be cold and stuff, but no, he's actually warm. Like a real human being...

* * *

><p><span>Sasuke POV<span>

Mikotsu's head landed on my leg, making me flinch. I glanced down and noticed that she was sleeping. I thought she just woke up?

I sighed and slid down so that I was next to her. Her head rested perfectly on my shoulder, making it look like we were together. At least no one was watching...

**That actually didn't take me that long to write, but I kept forgetting to put this up :P Sorry.**

**Review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Sigh~ Listening to El Tango de Roxanne...I don't know the movie, but it sounds so sad! :'( Is it about a girl who's going to work at a prostitute for money? Sure sounds like it...Someone tell me what it's about!**

**And sorry for the super long time of no update, I'm worried about my violin exams on Sunday the 16th... :'( super worried~~~ It's tomorrow...  
><strong>

_Day 4_

Sasuke POV

After about three hours of light sleep, Kakashi-sensei finally arrived. I immediately stood up, feeling my cheeks burn a little. That movement cause Mikotsu's head to bang on the hard wooden ground. Whoops._  
><em>

Mikotsu POV

I was having a great dream about taking everyone to Aiko's tea shop when I was rudely woken up. My head slammed into something hard, probably making it crack. I quickly sat up and noticed that Naruto and Sakura were next to me, looking straight ahead. At Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke was looking somewhere else, acting all cool and stuff.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" I said brightly. "If you came in about an hour later, then everyone could have had some desserts!" Everyone looked at me, clueless. "Okay, forget I ever said anything." I sighed. "So what are we doing? Any missions?"

Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Well, this may surprise you guys, but I've signed you all up for the chunin exams. But you need to have at least eight missions, so we're having a mission right after this. Okay?"

"Yeah!" Naruto cried. "We're going to the chunin exams!" I jumped over to him and five starred his back, making him cough a bit.

"Sorry," I said between giggles. "But I'm so excited we're going to the exams!" Naruto and I started grinning like idiots. I could've sworn I saw Sasuke's lips tilt upwards, too, but Sakura didn't seem very excited. What's up with her?

* * *

><p>"I'm so tired!" I cried. We just got back from our eighth mission. But, yay! Chunin exams, here we come!<p>

Naruto nodded weakly, leaning on my arm. "Yeah, but at least we can go to the exams now! I can show my awesome new skills!" Then he started grinning like an idiot. Well, he is an idiot...

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If you're going to be like that during the exams, then I wish you luck failing."

Naruto immediately leaped. "What did you just say?"

I sighed. "Ready?" I put my arm out in front, as if this was a real match. Naruto and Sasuke stood, facing each other. "Get set...go!"

Before Sasuke or Naruto could make a move, Kakashi-sensei stopped them. "Now, now. Rest up and get ready to submit your exam papers tomorrow. You can fight then," he said with a smile. "And Mikotsu, stop egging them on."

"Sorry," I muttered, facing the ground.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Sasuke, where are you going?" I asked casually. Naruto left already, and Sakura left too. That left me and Sasuke.<p>

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm going back home. Let's see how good your stalking skills are. Follow me as best as you can, and if you can follow me and catch me without me knowing, then you win. If I get home before you can catch me, then you win. Winner decides a punishment for the loser. Okay?" I think that's the longest phrase I've ever heard Sasuke say in one breath.

I grinned easily. "No teleportation jutsu. I'll give you a ten second head start." I closed my eyes and summoned chakra while counting out loud.

Sasuke POV

I dashed through the streets of Konoha, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. Hell, this was the funnest thing I've done in a long time, and I wanted to enjoy it.

When I reached ten, I stopped and started walking around casually, while actually looking for a restroom. Mikotsu was a girl, she can't follow me into a guy's room. I passed Aiko's tea shop, ignoring it.

I smirked. I've already won.

Mikotsu POV

As soon as I reached ten, I sent out streams of sand, searching for anything signs of Sasuke. Footprints. Good enough.

I quickly followed the footprints, using my sand eyeball to scout a few meters ahead. When I reached the busiest part of town, I started using my instincts. If I was Sasuke, where would I want to hide? Which place has a back exit, and would lead to my house?

Well, I would probably go into a shop. Since shops are full of people, it would be easiest to hide in. And they have back exits for workers, as well as in the restrooms.

I headed towards Aiko's shop. Her's has an open door most of the time, and you could easily see the streets from the work counter.

"Aiko!" I called as I went into the shop. "Have you seen Sasuke pass by?"

Aiko turned to face me. Her face lit up in a smile and said, "Yes, I have! He was running by, in fact, a few seconds ago. He looked like he was running away from something, but he slowed down almost right after he passed my shop." She tapped her chin with a finger, looking confused. "Kind of strange actually, he was looking around for something."

I nodded quickly. "Thanks, Aiko-chan! That's a great help!" I dashed out the door, waving back.

When I hit the streets again, I reviewed the things Aiko told me. Sasuke started walking as soon as ten seconds passed by, probably. That fit with the description of looking for something. But what could he be looking for? I walked along the street, hoping to find a clue. My sand was still around, trying to sense for any sign of Sasuke. But that would be next to useless here, there were too many people around.

I cursed under my breath. I should have attached some sand onto him, so that I could follow him easier. But trying to change what happened already is stupid. Face the future, and forget about the past. You can't move forward if you keep looking back.

I decided to follow a trail parallel to the route to his house. Our goal was to reach his house. It would be risky to lie in wait there, considering it's really close to the final destination. But it was all or nothing, something that I was used to in my past. And going parallel would make him assume that I'm still following him.

I nodded to myself, and started heading towards his house.

Sasuke POV

If Mikotsu was still following me, she would be outside, probably waiting for me to come back. As soon as I went in, I left through a window. If she was looking for a back exit, then she's out of luck.

I repeated this a couple more times, along the streets to my house. When the street disappeared, I started running as fast as I could towards my house, building up chakra. If she plans to ambush me, then she's in for a nasty surprise.

In front of my house was a narrow walkway, surrounded by stone walls. The only way to ambush me would be from the above, which I checked thoroughly. No one was there. I hesitantly jumped back to the ground, hoping that she wasn't already in the house.

Mikotsu POV

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Sasuke suddenly darted up. I quickly used the Art of Disappearing, sending me to where ever my sand was, which was behind the wall. Thank goodness. When he landed back down on the ground, I jumped onto the wall again, silent as a feather.

Sasuke stood, eyes surveying the area around him, probably trying to find me. It was a bit suspicious that he hadn't been assaulted by me yet, considering that he was at the end of his journey. I was hoping that he would lower his guard, but no, he didn't. As expected of the great Uchiha.

I sighed gently, and gently streamed some sand out of my gourd. I quickly molded it into pellets, ready to bombard him.

Sasuke POV

Suddenly, I was attacked from above, as I had anticipated. I quickly used chakra to scale the walls, going to the top, the little bombs missing me by centimeters. How lucky I was.

When I reached the top, I saw Mikotsu, ready for battle. I knew it was weird that she hadn't attacked me yet.

"So here you are," I smirked. I quickly did the sign of the tiger, and release all of my stored up chakra. The result was a gigantic fireball blast.

When the flames disappeared, there was nothing left except for a shell of sand. Which Mikotsu probably was hiding in.

I carefully walked over, prepared to stab whatever would come out. Amazingly, nothing appeared. I hesitantly threw a kunai at it, making the sand shell crumble to nothing. No one was in there.

I suddenly turned around, checking if Mikotsu was hiding behind me. She wasn't.

"Boo." I snapped my head back, facing forward. I was rewarded with a whip of sand, lashing at my sides. "Sucker."

There was Mikotsu, looking at me coldly, as if forgetting that I wasn't really her enemy. "Ready?" She lifted her arm, snaking sand around my ankles. I was prepared, so I jumped out of the way and landed some few feet behind the sand.

"My turn." I used the sign of the tiger and spitted out multiple fireballs. Mikotsu's sand rose to her defense again, blocking out the fire.

Then I remembered that I was to reach my house, not stop her. That was her goal. She had almost tricked me into forgetting the actual deal!

I quickly spun around and dashed for my house, while the smoke from the fire was still visible.

When I almost reached the doorstep of my house, something hit my side, causing me to roll over. I didn't even need to look up to know that it was Mikotsu.

"I almost got you there, huh?" she asked, grinning. Her earlier coldness was gone. "I guess you win." She pointed behind me. I turned around and noticed that my back was to the door of my house. "So what's my punishment, Sasuke-kun?"

I thought for a moment. What would benefit me best? What do I need?

I stood up, leaning a bit on my non-wounded side. Her slam really hurt.

"Stay overnight with me today. Please." That was the something I was missing. Someone to talk with, someone who understands being alone.

Mikotsu raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to do anything to me, are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't think of doing anything like _that_." I hope we were thinking of the same thing.

Mikotsu exhaled. "Fine then, I guess. But I'd have to tell Naruto first, otherwise he might worry." She did a hand sign and a clone appeared. She whispered something to her clone, and it nodded and dashed off.

Mikotsu POV

Sasuke unlocked the door to his house. And it's not like my apartment house, it's like a real house. A huge house. With a couple thousand rooms. Well, that's just an exaggeration, but it's close enough.

"I love your house," I said instantly, and dashed in. I knew where some of the rooms were, but not all. I know that there's a bathroom down the hall, and Sasuke's room if you turn left from the bathroom. As well as I knew, Sasuke had never visited most of the other rooms.

I stood there, taking in every detail of his house. I've seen it from the outside, but not from the inside.

I hesitantly walked to one of the rooms that Sasuke's never visited before. A layer of dust covered everything. Actually, there wasn't much in there, just a desk. But I could instantly tell that this room could use a wash.

"Hey, Sasuke, when was the last time you came in here?" I asked over my shoulder. I could tell that the Uchiha was standing behind me.

"A really long time." He casually stood next to me and brushed a finger over the layer of dust on the desk. "Yeah. Too long." He made a disgusted face. I instantly knew that Sasuke did NOT like cleaning.

Light bulb idea time!

"How about I help you clean this?" I asked slowly. "And you take me out for dinner?"

Sasuke stood for a moment, giving me a weird look. Finally he said, "Sure. But you have to clean all the rooms."

I nodded eagerly. He doesn't know how much I can eat after a mission. "Great! All right Sasuke, where do you keep your cleaning supplies?" I asked, tying my hair back with my hairband.

Sasuke pointed down the hall. "Next to the toilet."

I wrinkled my nose. "Okay then..." I really hope he cleans the toilet bowl often...

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><p><em>Day 4<em>

"Sasuke, I hate you," I groaned, lying down on a mat/bed thing in Sasuke's room. "You could have told me that you own the whole building!" This building was a actually "family inheritance". I flopped over on my side so that I was staring directly into his eyes. He was laid down next to me, just relaxing while I did all the work.

"Well, you never asked." He stuck out his tongue at me. "But thanks," he added, sounding pretty sincere.

I just glared back, until I realized how close our faces were. I felt myself blushing red, then instantly sat up. "Dinner," I mumbled subtly.

**Yeah, I really should have gotten this out sooner -_- I just forgot about it :P So sorry**

**Gah...I'm so worried about my violin exam! *sweats***

**Please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**You guys would be proud of me ^_^ I wrote the whole chapter in ONE HOUR. :) but there'll probably lots of mistakes :'(  
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Mikotsu POV

"Nice," I commented as we stepped into this restaurant. I didn't pay attention to the sign, just instantly took a spot for Sasuke and me.

"Do you come here often?" I asked as I sat down and stared at random things, ignoring the menu in front of me.

Sasuke shook his head. "Occasionally. Not often."

I observed my surroundings while I waited for Sasuke to order something for both of us. Bad habit. I shook my head, trying to stop staring at people. Some of them were staring back at me, thinking that I was a weirdo, probably. Hahaha, I am.

A flash of red outside the shop caught my attention. My eyes zeroed in on it, and saw that it was a tuff of blood-red hair. Hmm, who do I know that has hair as red as blood? Gaara...Sabaku.

A casual glance at Sasuke showed that he had caught it too. But instead of curiosity coming from him, I could feel an urge to fight. What was wrong with him?

I rolled my eyes, then waved at Gaara. He was facing our direction to begin with, but he wasn't focusing on us. When my waving hand and cheerful smile finally aroused his attention, his eyes flickered at me, then ignored me again.

I huffed, filling my cheeks with air. "Gaara!" I called out in a loud voice. It wasn't exactly a yell, but it was close. The redhead's eyes snapped up, glared, then he stalked over to our table.

"What do you want?" he growled.

I smiled disarmingly at him, and patted the seat next to me. "Sit. And eat with us."

Gaara continued staring, creating a silence so long that I swear I felt my body decaying from old age. I seriously wanted to yell at him to hurry up and make a decision. Eons later, he finally replied. And the decision he made was...

"Fine." The Sabaku finally nodded coldly and sat down. "I need to get something for Temari and Kankuro anyways."

Sasuke looked up and gave me a glare, as if trying to tell me that he hated me so badly he wanted to kill me right now. I grinned and angled my eyes up behind him. He turned and, with his attention diverted from me, got kicked by yours truly. Sasuke's head snapped back and let out a low growl. Fortunately, a waiter was close to us and thought that we were ready to order. Which I hope Sasuke was, since I haven't even glimpsed at the menu yet.

Sasuke let out a string of Japanese, too quick for me to understand. Okay, so I'm not fluent in my home language. Big deal! What really matters is your survival skills, knowing how to speak good Japanese isn't going to save your life.

After Sasuke's quick mouth shot off, I started zoning out again. I can't concentrate for more than 10 minutes at a time, but Naruto can only focus for five.

Since I needed to stop myself from falling asleep (that usually follows the above), I started bombarding Gaara with questions.

"Do you like mochi?"

No response.

"What about chocolate?"

Again, no response.

"Do you like sweets in general?"

"No."

"What do you like?"

"Nothing."

"Do you like food?"

No response.

"Do you like...killing?"

Gaara gave a casual half-shrug. "It's necessary for my survival," he said coldly.

I gave a mock gasp of horror. "Really? Then I need to change that!" I smirked. "No more killing!"

Gaara glared at me, his sea green eyes brimming with hatred. "You don't control me."

Damn he has pretty eyes. I wish mine were more green than blue. I like the blue/green color, but Gaara's was really really nice. It matched with his red hair too. (AN: Stupid genetics! That's the reason why I don't have natural red hair and green eyes!)

A kick from Sasuke told me that I had been staring at the redhead for way too long. I shook my head.

"Do you like Sasuke?" I asked, since that was the only thing in my mind at that time.

Both Gaara and Sasuke gave me a glare and replied, "I am not gay."

I had to choke back laughter. "Okay, that was bad phrasing. I meant, as a friend, not as a lover."

Gaara continues glaring while Sasuke looks away. "No. I do not like anyone on this world."

Another mock gasp. "Not even me?" Well, of course not.

"I don't know." Gaara stared at me, not glare. "The demon doesn't seem to hate you, he seems to like you in fact. I want to hate you, but I can't."

Damn. I feel honored. "Well, Gaara. How can I say this...?" I make some hand motions. "I like you. You're awesome. Awesomer than Sasuke. And I envy your eyes." I paused to take a deep breath. "But I know that we'll probably have to fight each other during the chunin exams. So I can't be friends with you. But you...well...appeal to me." That was a long speech.

After I spoke, there was nothing but silence. Sasuke was staring at me as if he didn't know who I was. Gaara was still trying to understand the words.

Great. Idiots. Both of them.

**I thought this was a nice place to stop...kinda short for all those weeks of not updating :P please forgive me! I had two Science tests, two geo tests, and two spanish tests. all in one week .**

**Please review! And I'm getting busier and busier...so I can't guarantee when the next chap will be out...**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**My new favorite song: Spitfire by The Prodigy  
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**I think there might be some OOC in this chap...not sure yet. There's gonna be a lot of side comments on the first part, since I'm kinda high/hungry/bored right now.  
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_Day 4 _(AN: forgot to do that last chapter. and i can't believe it's still day 4! argh...need to hurry everything up!)**  
><strong>

Sasuke POV

After that uncomfortable question, the food arrived. For some unfathomable (AN: oooo. good language, me) reason, I was pleased to see that Mikotsu was eagerly awaiting to eat the food. I had ordered sushi, tempera, and chocolate mochi, for a certain someone. (AN: FOOOOOOOD)

"Itadakimasu," Mikotsu and I said at the same time. I took the pair of chopsticks and jabbed at a piece of sushi and popped it into my mouth. (AN: i want sushi too)

After a few bites, I noticed that Gaara was just sitting there, not eating.

"What's wrong?" Mikotsu asked curiously, noticing my look. "Oh. Here, have a sushi, Gaara." She took one and put it onto Gaara's plate.

Said boy regarded the food coldly. "I don't like to eat in front of other people."

Mikotsu waved her hand, shoving away his concern. "Then you shouldn't be sitting here. But you are. So eat." She gave him a death glare. I shivered slightly, even though the building was warm. Why does her glare scare me too?

"I don't like fish," he added.

I rolled my eyes. So fickle! "Then what do you want?" I asked harshly, calling a waiter over. "You want ramen?" Considering Naruto loves it so much, I guess it wouldn't hurt. It doesn't smell fishy either, so I suppose it'd be okay.

Gaara gave me a blank look. I took that as a yes. "A bowl of beef ramen," I told the waiter. He nodded and asked, "Anything else, sir?"

"Make that four bowls, please!" Mikotsu shot in, smiling brightly.

"Alright, miss." The waiter turn away and headed off to the kitchen. As soon as he headed away, I gave Mikotsu a questioning look. "What was that for?"

"For Temari and Kankuro. And me." She turned her attention back to the food, stabbing another sushi and stuffing it into her mouth. I took a shrimp tempura by the tail and chewed it slowly, feeling its crunchiness in my mouth. (AN: I can't do description. sorry. if someone wants to help me with description, I'd gladly accept his/her help! *hint hint*) This place has good cooks.

* * *

><p><em>Day 4<em>

Sasuke POV

"Alright, bye Gaara!" Mikotsu called cheerfully over her shoulder. Gaara nodded coldly towards her and headed off in a direction opposite to ours. As soon as he disappeared from view with the food he carried, Mikotsu and I started walking back to my house. The temperature seemed to drop by fifty degrees compared to this afternoon.

"It's freezing," Mikotsu complained, shivering.

"Same here," I replied, walking quicker. Mikotsu followed me, running. My strides were longer than hers, so it took three of hers to match two of mine. Pretty soon, both of us were running, our breaths coming out in quick pants.

When we finally reached our destination, my sides were heaving from the food I had just eaten and the wild dash.

I turned around and faced Mikotsu, to find her grinning evilly at me. "That was awesome."

I grinned weakly back at her. "Really? My sides hurt."

Her breathless laugh agreed with me. "But that still was awesome."

I straightened up, ignoring my aching sides. I fumbled around for my keys, finally found them, then entered the house. Mikotsu dashed in, ahead of me, and flopped onto my bed. I was a bit irritated with her for stealing my resting spot, but I guess I brought that onto myself for asking her to stay over.

Sighing, I locked the door behind me and then sat down next to her, with my hand snagged in her hair. She didn't complain about this, so I guess it was fine. The next few minutes passed in silence between the two of us. A bush ruffled outside the house, probably containing some kind of animal. An owl hooted from far, far away.

"Tell me about your past," I suggested after a while. It was kind of creepy seeing her silent, considering she's pretty talkative when not on missions. I shifted my hand a bit, ruffling her hair, tickling her cheek.

Her face glanced up at me in extreme annoyance, so I continued playing with her hair.

"Well now," she started, "where do you want me to start?" She sneezed.

"Tell me why you followed me all those years ago."

"Well, it's because I wanted to see why Naruto hates you so much."

"..and?"

"I guess I was kind of interested to see who you really are. You seemed to have on this tough guy act during the academy days, so I guess I wanted to know _why_ you acted like that..."

"And what did you find out?" I twisted her hair again.

Her hand reached out and slapped mine away from her hair. I grinned inwardly. My other hand reached out and pinned hers down, and then I started playing with her hair again.

"Stop it!" Her irritated voice reached my ears.

"Try to stop me," I teased easily. I was feeling kinda nice about being able to piss her off so easily, so I took a risk.

"Fine." She turned her head around and bit my hand, all in one smooth motion.

That was uncalled for.

Mikotsu POV

My teeth chomped down hard on Sasuke's smooth skin. He didn't do anything, so I bit down harder.

Until I felt the skin break and taste blood. My taste buds alerted me that something other that saliva was dripping into my mouth.

"Oh my-! I'm so sorry, Sasuke!" I suddenly sat up, caressing his hand in my hands. I gently wiped the blood off his bloodied hand with my shirt sleeve, shocked. I bet some of his blood was on my mouth too, making me look like some sort of demon. I reached up to my mouth and wiped it too, then resumed back to cleaning his hand and trying to stop the crimson blood from flowing out of his hand.

This was too much for just a little fight about playing with my hair. "Are you alright, Sasuke?" I glanced up at his face, hoping not to see anger on his face. Which I didn't.

Instead, he seemed to be amused. "Why are you apologizing? That was what you intended, right?" His mouth twisted into a faint grin, directly at me. His dark eyes bore straight into mine, not full of hate, but of humor.

At this point, only one thought was in my head.

_I love it when you smile.  
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Sasuke POV

I grinned faintly at Mikotsu, who was still clutching my hand. I think I've stopped bleeding, since she probably cut off the circulation from my hand.

Her blue-green eyes shivered at me. If that was possible. Those orbs seemed to see through me, looking at a point behind me, a point I would never be able to see even if I turn around. I stared back at her, not really getting it. Why was she staring so intently at me? The answer was within the clutches of my hands...

And then I finally understood.

The look she sent me was different, but it expressed the same thought as many others. Their thoughts matched one-hundred percent, but it was just shown differently. And how disgusted I was by those looks from them. But now, it finally seems that I was fine with the concept, just not the expression.

She loved me, just like my army of fangirls.

**Was that a cliffhanger? ^_^ I worked really really hard on this chapter! No joke!** **I tried to add description, but apparently, it seems that description is out of my league. If anyone wants to help me with that, I'll gladly accept your help, as it was stated in the beginning of the story, somewhere.**

**Aw, and I have piano competition next week. Looks like it'll take a while for the next chap to get up again. Sorry for all the delays.  
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**Review! **


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Epic fight in this chapter...going a bit more into Mikotsu's fighting tactics. Remember, she only has some of Gaara's skills, so not all her moves and stuff are exactly like Gaara's.**

**This chap's a bit long...cuz I just NEED to combine the two chaps to one to make sense...And there's a third part too, but I'll save it for the next chapter.  
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_Day 4 (Acutally, Night 4)  
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Mikotsu POV

I realized that I had been staring at Sasuke for quite a while now, and I was still holding his hand.

"Ah...sorry about your hand." I quickly released his hand from mine, blushing softly. Good thing it was dark out, otherwise he would've seen my blush.

"It's fine." Sasuke gently wiped his hand on his T-shirt, but there were no blood traces. "See? No blood." He smiled gently and leaned in towards me.

It took me a few seconds to realize that Sasuke was getting really really close to me right now. Like, really close, no personal space close. My brain started freaking out. _What are you trying to do, Sasuke?_

Soon, I found out what he was doing. He was kissing me, directly on my lips.

As soon as his soft lips met mine, I instantly bolted out the door. "What are you doing, Sasuke?" I screeched. Okay, if I loved Sasuke, I would have leaned into his kiss. But I don't. So I didn't. But there was a part of me that was going, _you should have __held him closer!_ _Kissed him back!_ The sane part of my brain had crushed that thought easily. I didn't want to be with the Uchiha, at least, not yet. Maybe when he didn't have so many fangirls that would kill me...

The night air was cold against my bare arms. I closed my eyes, and just started running to Naruto's and my apartment. Naruto would help me. Of course he would. Wouldn't he?

When I was about three-fourths way there, someone tackled me from behind. My head thudded to the ground painfully. At first I thought it was Sasuke, coming to rape me or something. But then, the moonlight caught a flicker of pink hair, not black.

Pink hair equals Sakura. That bitch. Kinda hard to imagine that we were friends only a few months ago, eh?

I instantly flipped around, onto my back, then swiped a solid punch at her jaw. That would disable her for some time. I jumped up and regained my balance. My head had been muddled by what had happened with Sasuke, but that knock had cleared it. Now, I was ready to beat some pink haired sluts up.

Before Sakura could get into a fighting stance, I had already leaped forward and knocked her legs under her. I paused to give her a moment to explain herself.

"Why the fuck did you just tackle me down?" My voice was colder than the night air.

"Because you kissed my Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's high pitched voice replied, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

I mentally face-palmed. "Seriously? That's what it's about? In case you didn't realize, your precious Sasuke-kun kissed me! Wait, how did you know?" My expression changed from hostility to confusion to suspicion.

"I saw you on a date with Sasuke-kun! In fact, all of us did." When she said "all of us", she gestured behind her. Suddenly, kunoichi of all kinds rose up from hidden places. Why didn't I sense them before?

"We decided to follow you, to see what you were doing with Sasuke-kun." I realized that Ino was among the ranks of girls. I never really liked her, so I had no qualms about killing her if necessary.

What am I thinking? I can't kill a fellow kunoichi!

Or can I...?

I jumped up and did some hand signs to send my sand to swallow all the girls. But nothing happened. Did Sakura disable my chakra? A quick check ensured me that I had chakra. My hand reached to my hip.

Shit. I left my gourd at Sasuke's house. No wonder nothing happened!

I cursed and landed on a roof. This gave me a bird's eye view of everything, but without my sand-and no sandpit within a couple miles-I could only rely on taijutsu. I had no attacking ninjutsu except for my sand based attacks, and my genjutsu sucked terribly.

I dropped back down and swung my legs in a giant arc. The couple girls that were closest to me dropped unconscious, I hoped. As soon as they fell back, cold, I crouched down in a ready position, with Sakura's team surrounding me. There had to be more than twenty girls here, not including the ones that I just knocked out. All of them were battle-ready, and I could only hope that I could make it out alive.

The ones closest to me all charged at once, covering me three hundred sixty degrees. I quickly hopped up and knocked some out with a quick, yet firm, rap to the neck, successfully stopping their supply of oxygen for a while. If I had aimed directly at the center of the neck, they might have died.

If only I could use the technique I used on Sasuke back in Amegakure...but that would only work when it was one-on-one, with my concentration focused on one person. With so many foes right now, I would have to use some mass scaled sand bullets to take them all out. But I couldn't, because I left my gourd back at Sasuke's!

I landed back on the ground and swung in a wide arc with my leg out, knocking some more bitches down. My plan now: plow a path and run back to Sasuke's to get my gourd ASAP!

I threw my arms out in front of my and whacked some girls aside, only to get hit by some from behind. Perhaps running to Sasuke's would take too long... I turned around, bashed some heads in, and tried to go to Naruto's for some back up. But, the girls had formed a roadblock, successfully stopping me from reaching Naruto. Some others had blocked the path to Sasuke's house when I had turned.

"NARUTO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "HELP ME!" I did the sign for a clone, and sent it to Naruto. Hopefully, she'll reach Naruto and get help. Or he'll hear my scream.

As soon as the clone dashed off, Sakura whacked my back, knocking the air out of my lungs. I instantly whipped around and punched her face in, then took a deep breath, refilling my lungs. I searched my mind for some form of ninjutsu that didn't require sand, and I came up with Shadow Clone no Jutsu. I didn't have as much chakra as Naruto, so I could only make a maximum of five at a time. If I had more chakra, I could probably make an army of clones.

But I didn't. I did the Shadow Clone sign, then sent them to distract the girls while I escaped up top, through the rooftops.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Ino jumped up next to me, and threw a kunai at me. I managed to dodge it easily, and send some shurikens back at her.

"Ino...you know as well as I do that Sasuke doesn't like you! So why are you trying so-" I got cut off mid-sentence by Ino charging at me.

"Ino!" I jumped up and landed lightly on her shoulders. Then I proceeded to stab a kunai through her leg. Not strong enough to kill her, but good enough to disable.

Ino screeched in pain. _Take that!_

With that, I jumped over roofs of houses and through the treetops...

is what I wish had happened. Instead, the rest of the girls jumped onto me. Guess they found out that I wasn't among the shadow clones.

Yeah...I'm screwed. "NARUTO!"

* * *

><p><span>Naruto POV<span>

"NARUTO!" The sound of my name being yelled jolted me from my sleep. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, and I was still asleep. But then, a few minutes later, the sound came again, this time louder and more urgent.

I immediately sat up, but I couldn't find anything out of place. Then I heard knocks from the window.

The window. The only place that Mikotsu will come through when there's no one with her.

I jumped up from bed and peered out the window. And there was Mikotsu with a frantic expression.

I opened the window, careful not to throw her down with the force of the push. "What's up, Miko?"

Mikotsu shook her head. "No, I'm just a clone. But Mikotsu needs you right now!"

"What? What's wrong?" I exclaimed while looking for my clothes. If something was the urgent, then I'm gonna need to go look for her in ninja mode.

"Mikotsu got attacked by a bunch of Sasuke's fangirls! She's pretty close to you right now, you gotta go save her! Lat time I checked, she was surrounded by them."

I took my kunai pouch. "How many are there?"

"About twenty."

I instantly stopped dressing. My expression changed from worried to furious. "Just twenty? She can take all them down by herself!" I stalked over back to my bed. Mikotsu could take down all of them with just one sand bullet.

"No, Naruto, you don't understand! She left her gourd back at Sasuke's!"

I stood turned back to the clone again. "What was she doing at Sasuke's?" Suspicion crept into my voice. "Oh wait, nevermind. I think one of you guys told me that she was spending the night over at his house." I visibly relaxed.

"Then come on, Naruto! Let's go!" The clone jumped over to me and started to pull me up.

"I'm coming, I'm coming..." I knew how bad Mikotsu's taijutsu was when it wasn't one-on-one. Against armies like this, she would usually just flatten them all out with sand. I knew that Mikotsu rarely used taijutsu. I also knew that her genjutsu was horrible, almost worse than mine. And, of course, she usually had me to back her up in case she needed some help.

The clone and I raced to the "crime scene". As soon as she told me where Mikotsu was, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Alright...time to get the show on!" I jumped upwards to the roof, expecting a pile of dead bodies. Instead, I saw the top of Mikotsu's orange-reddish hair surrounded by a bunch of Sasuke's fangirls.

"Mikotsu!" I hollered, then dashed towards her. I pummeled a couple girls aside and stood next to Mikotsu, taking her back. She grinned weakly at me, then collapsed onto me. I instantly turned around and caught her before her head hit the roof.

"Sorry Naruto...one of them got my Keirakukei*..." She grinned weakly, then coughed up some blood. "I'm dying, Naruto!" she joked as her eyes slowly closed.

"What? Don't die on me!" I remembered my fear of when Sasuke had seemed to die back in Amegakure. I remembered the surge of strength that had ran through me as I held his head in my hand. I remembered my need to take revenge on whoever had killed Sasuke.

All that happened again. I felt power running through me, and I stood up, ready to kill everyone here.

"Shadow Clone no Jutsu!" I growled. Millions of clones of me suddenly appeared. "Let's go and take them down!" All of us charged forward.

***Chakra Network**

**Okay, don't worry, Sasuke's gonna make his appearance too. If anyone of you guys expected Sasuke to come in as "the knight in shining armor", you're probably disappointed now. Meh...but he'll be here next chapter, just you wait. All his actions in the beginning of the chapter will be explained in the next chapter...**

**Review! I would appreciate it! And I'm open to suggestions as to where the story's plot will be heading...  
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	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Do you guys think I should make a Shippuden sequel to this? I kinda want to, but my schedule's getting cramped up...  
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**Went to a Japanese-style shop for lunch today :) The takoyaki's were DELICIOUS. Mmmmm...if any of you guys know how to make it, I wanna know!**

**Oh yeah, Sakura is kinda evil in this chapter...I like her better when she's evil...muahahaha...  
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Sasuke POV

As soon as Mikotsu left, I made no move to follow her. I knew what I was doing, even if all the cells in my body were screaming to chase after her, to apologize, or explain what I was doing.

The kiss was just a test, to see her reaction. If she was just another one of my mindless fangirls, she would have eagerly kissed me back. The fact that she didn't showed that she didn't just want my body, she wasn't ready for this yet. She truly liked me for who I was, and she was like one of those secret admirers people. She didn't want just a kiss, she wanted a reason for it, and wanted it to be honest. She needed answers, not meaningless actions.

At least, I hoped it was something like that.

My hand brushed through my long bangs, pushing it back behind my head, then rested my forehead into my palm. For some reason, I was extremely tired. It was as if everything was just really dull right now, nothing is sparking my interest. Like a black and white movie (AN: I'm SURE they have movie theaters...)

A sudden scream jolted me out of my daze. I didn't know how long I was out for, seconds, minutes, perhaps even hours? A quick look out the door showed that it was still night, so it must've been a couple hours max.

That same voice came again, and this time, I could hear it a bit better.

"Naruto!"

I suddenly jumped up. That was Mikotsu's voice. What was she doing? There was a note of terror in her voice.

Shit, I hope she's not doing anything life threatening. But, knowing Mikotsu, there must be a reason of why she's terrified right now. A quick scan of the room showed that Mikotsu left her gourd here; maybe that was why? Her fighting skills weren't exactly good without her gourd...

"Shit, she probably got into a fight," I cursed under my breath. So what should I do about it? It won't do my any good to get into her fights...besides, she called for Naruto, not me. An ember of jealousy started flaming up inside of me. _Oh, stop it._

Well, actions speak louder than words, right? I strode over to her gourd and grabbed it by the thin cloth strap, then strapped it to my waist like Mikotsu always does. I then grabbed my ninja gear and headed out, in battle mode. Hopefully, I'd get there before she gets in major trouble.

Mikotsu POV

_"Daddy, where are we going?"_

_"You'll find out when we get there..."_

_"Are we leaving the village?"_

_"Yes, you are..."_

_"Are you coming with me?"_

_"I can't. I'm busy."_

_"Am I going alone?"_

_"No, you'll have escorts."_

_"Who are they?"_

_"They are..."  
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Naruto POV

Soon, everyone was down, except for Sakura. She didn't glare at me, for once, but at Mikotsu. And that hurt even more, because none of this was Mikotsu's fault. And Mikotsu was my best friend in this world.

"S-Sakura-chan...?" I asked slowly. "Why are you here?" I already knew why, but I wanted to cling onto any thread of hope that she wasn't involved in this.

"Naruto, you already know why." Her voice was soft and sweet, like a snake charmer charming snakes. "Sasuke-kun could, and should, never end up with Mikotsu."

My eyes squinted into a glare. "But why? She didn't do anything to Sasuke!"

"That's what you think. All of us saw him kiss her. She must have seduced poor Sasuke-kun somehow!" Sakura crossed her arms. "Move aside, Naruto. Let me teach her a lesson."

"No!" I rose up into a crouch, prepared to strike at Sakura. I dashed forward, but at the last second, I faltered. I couldn't do it. I loved Sakura too much. I couldn't hurt someone I loved, even if it was Mikotsu's life in danger. Which was the situation now.

Sakura smiled thinly. "That's it, Naruto. Now please excuse me." She strode forward to Mikotsu, who was lying limp, defenseless, on the ground.

"Sakura!" I turned back to face her. "Please don't!" Tears threatened to explode from my eyes. Was Mikotsu really just going to die like this? Was she going to die because I couldn't stop Sakura? And why was Sakura acting this way? This wasn't the Sakura I knew from the academy days...

Mikotsu POV

_"Daddy! I'll miss you, come visit me sometime!" I waved as Daddy disappeared from sight._

_"This is going to be the jinchuuriki...?" A tall, black haired, red eyed female said in disgust. "She's barely old enough to walk! What is the Kazekage thinking...?" She took me in her arms.  
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_"Kurenai, you know as well as I do that this is necessary," a white haired guy with a mask said. His headband covered one of his eyes. "It is necessary for the survival of the village."_

_"Village? Is Suna in trouble?" I asked curiously, reaching for his mask._

_"No, Konoha." He batted my hand away.  
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_"Konoha? What's that? Is Konoha in trouble?"_

_Another man with brown hair kept checking around, as if looking for something. "Kakashi, we should leave soon."_

_The white man nodded. "Yes, let's."_

Naruto POV

"Well then, Mikotsu. I hope you've learned your lesson." Sakura raised a kunai over Mikotsu's body, preparing to bring it down and end Mikotsu's life. If she was still alive...

"Sakura..." Time seemed to slow down. I knew I wouldn't get there in time to stop Sakura, but I tried anyways. I moved my legs as fast as I could, pumping my arms to increase my speed. However, before I could reach her, someone else did.

This new person took Sakura's hand and threw the kunai away, away from Mikotsu. "Sakura, what are you doing?" His voice was deep and had an intent to kill. He then turned and looked straight at me.

"Sasuke...?" I whispered in wonder. What was he doing here? I charged over to him, and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Naruto...I thought you'd be here..." He glanced up and looked at me, his eyes masking any emotion. "I heard Mikotsu scream, so I came over, dobe."

Now I was confused. "Why? And weren't you supposed to be with her?" I pushed Sakura out of the way and knelt down next to Mikotsu. The kunai she had was a good three feet away. A quick check showed that Mikotsu was still breathing, still alive. I let out a puff of air I didn't know I was holding.

"Hey, Sasuke, I'll leave Sakura up to you, alright? I'm taking Mikotsu to the hospital." I left without getting an answer to my question, Mikotsu's life the only thing on my mind right now.

Mikotsu POV

_"Kakashi-sempai...what's going to happen now?" I looked at the scene of destruction in front of me._

_"I don't know." His voice was sorrowful and heavy. "I just don't know."_

_"Can I go back to Suna now?"  
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_"I don't think you can..."_

_"Why not?"_

_"..."_

_"Why?"__ I gripped his hand tighter._

_"...You're going to live here with us, Miko."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Forever?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Will I be able to visit Daddy and Temari-san and Kankuro-san and Gaara-san?"_

_"...no. Never."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because your family is...busy...right now."_

_"Busy because of what?"_

_"They...have problems right now."_

_"I should go back and help them!"_

_"I'm sorry, Miko. But you can't."_

_"Why not?"  
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Sasuke POV

"Did you do this, Sakura?" I gestured to Naruto and Mikotsu, who were leaving, behind me. "You and your friends?" I made a motion to the half-conscious girls on the roof.

Sakura looked at me, ready to burst into tears. "We were doing it for you, Sasuke-kun!"

I gave her a cold glare, ones that I usually reserve for Naruto and occasionally Mikotsu. "Really? And why were you doing it for me?"

"You were getting seduced by Mikotsu!"

I had to choke back laughter, something that does not happen every day. "Was I, now?" My voice had a note of light humor in it, something else that wasn't common.

"Yes!" Sakura nodded her head vigorously. "You kissed her! On the lips!"

I cracked a grin. "Did you see her run away after that?"

Sakura hesitated to answer. "Well...yes, but that doesn't matter!"

"Oh no, Sakura. That matters a lot." I strode over to her. "If Mikotsu was trying to seduce me, why would she run away after she succeeded?"

Sakura looked at me sorrowfully. "We were only thinking for your best, Sasuke-kun."

I rolled my eyes slightly. "Then stay out of my business."

"B-but Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried. "Don't you understand why we did this? It's because we lo-"

"I don't want to hear it." I cut her off mid-sentence, then gave her a cold glare. "I don't care if you love me, because I've already given my heart to someone else." I turned my head away at the end of the sentence.

Sakura gaped at me, shocked at my confession. "Is it...Mikotsu?"

I turned back to face her and smiled thinly. "If you knew, then why did you fight her?"

Naruto POV

"Please! Can you help her?" I pleaded to the nurse sitting in the reception desk. "She was hit in the Keirakukei and I don't know what to do to help her!" My voice was rising in hysterics.

The nurse gave Mikotsu a quick examine, poking her here and there. Mikotsu didn't so much as twitch at the touch. "Yes, hurry. From the looks of it, she was hit in the stomach and her leg muscles are torn. She seems to have lost quite an amount of blood as well..." The nurse gave me a look straight in the eye. "We can perform surgery on her right now and heal her." She strode quickly to the phone tapped in the wall and called for a couple more nurses.

"Alright, team, this girl's Keirakukei is damaged in the stomach, and her left leg muscles are ripped. Let's go!" The nurses nodded and gently put her onto a cot from somewhere behind the curtain and sped her away.

As soon as Mikotsu was out of sight, I collapsed down onto the nice and cold hospital floor. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but the strain was too great. It wasn't even morning yet...

I yawned. I really hope surgery doesn't take that long...

* * *

><p><em>Day 5 (Finally!)<br>_

Naruto POV

"Hey, dobe." I hand fluttered in front of my eyes, then tapped my on my forehead.

"Uwah...?" I slowly opened my eyes, then swatted at the hand. "Stop it..." I rubbed my eyes and then opened them fully, trying hard not to squint in the bright light.

"...Sasuke?" I blinked. And again. "What are you doing here?"

Sasuke pointed to his left. "Mikotsu just woke up."

"Really?" I scrambled to get up, then prepared to dash in that direction.

"Wait, Naruto." He grabbed my shoulder, stopping me from running off. "They said no visitors yet, dobe."

"What!" I turned back to face him, irritated. "But I need to make sure that Mikotsu's still alive!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Of course she's still alive. The nurses told me." Before I could dash off after Mikotsu anyways, Sasuke added, "Kakashi-sensei wants us for a mission. Let's go, dobe. We can visit her after the mission."

* * *

><p><em>Day 5<br>_

Naruto POV

Sasuke and I rushed through the mission, working together for once. We didn't even yell at each other, didn't even toss insults. Our need to finish the mission quickly and see Mikotsu banded us together. Didn't know why Sasuke-teme wanted to see her too, but I'm not complaining. During the mission, Sakura avoided us like a plague the whole time, as if she couldn't face us for what she did yesterday night. However, she didn't apologize. She didn't even say a word to us, not even when I started praising her for something she did.

"C'mon Sasuke, let's go!" I turned back to face Sasuke. "You're so slow!"

Sasuke snorted. "As if. You know should know that there's a long way to the hospital. I'm just conserving my energy, idiot."

I stuck my tongue out at Sasuke and dashed ahead.

Sasuke POV

When we finally arrived at the hospital, Naruto was breathless from all the running (as I had anticipated).

"Where is Mikotsu's room?" I asked coldly to the nurse at the reception desk.

"Mikotsu Sabaku?"

I nodded.

"She's in room 205, down the hall and turn to the second left."

"Thank you." I grabbed Naruto and headed down the hall.

On the outside, I maintained an air of calmness. Inside, I was bursting with excitement to see Mikotsu again. What should I say when I see her again? Should I apologize? Hell, what's _she_ going to say when she sees _me_?

The two of us arrived at Mikotsu's room sooner than I expected. Without even thinking, Naruto just opened the door and charged straight in, yelling, "Mikotsu!"

"Naruto?" Mikotsu asked in wonder. Then her eyes rested on me. "Sasuke." Her voice instantly turned cold. She was sitting on one of those hospital beds, the pillows fluffed up to keep her upright. There was a table next to her, holding a cup of water and a note. A window was on the other side.

Naruto charged over to his childhood friend and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're alive!" I could hear some tears in his voice.

"Me too," Mikotsu replied, laughing. "I'm glad to be alive too." She was smiling, but the smile never reached her eyes.

I hesitantly walked over to her bed. "Hey."

"Hello." She didn't even bother to cover the dislike in her voice. "Hey, Naruto, can you get off of me? You're choking me. And uh...I need to talk with Sasuke, privately."

Naruto did so reluctantly, but not before giving her hand a squeeze. "I'm going to be outside if you need anything." He grinned and left, closing the door behind him.

As soon as the door locked shut, Mikotsu asked quietly, "Where's my gourd?" Her voice was even, hiding any form of emotion.

"I left it in Naruto's apartment. It's on the bed in your room."

She nodded, then asked, "Why, Sasuke? Why did you...?" I knew what she was talking about.

"It was just a test." I concealed my feelings as well.

"Test for what?"

"Nothing, just something that roused my curiosity."

"Did I pass?" Now her voice was humorous.

"Yeah." I smiled thinly.

Mikotsu grinned, then grabbed my collar and pulled me in.

"Wha-?" My exclamation was cut short as her lips captured mine in a kiss. I didn't fight her, just let her do what she wanted. After all, it was my kiss that led to this predicament. Her tongue flicked into my mouth, then back out again, like a snake, teasing me. _So that's how you want to play, huh? _I bit down onto her bottom lip, causing her lips to part in a wince. My tongue instantly darted into her mouth, preventing hers from going into mine. The two of us fought for dominance, and it was pretty fun for a while.

Until a nurse came in and saw us like this.

"What are you doing, Uchiha!" Her voice was commanding and shocked. "I thought you knew better than to make out with a patient who hasn't even recovered yet!" She came over and dragged me out, but not before I saw Mikotsu grin like a fox and mouth the words, "You lose, Sasuke-_kun_."

So it was just a game? And I thought she was serious...

"What's wrong, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto grinned evilly next to me. He was still waiting outside, just as he had promised Mikotsu. "I heard that nurse say that you were making out with Mikotsu?"

"Shut up, dobe." I turned so that he couldn't see my face, which was starting to heat up.

"But seriously, Sasuke." Naruto's voice turned serious, something that doesn't happen often. "Don't touch her where you shouldn't be touching."

I rolled my eyes. "You sound like you're her boyfriend."

"I'm not, and I never will be. I don't love her like you do." I opened my mouth to disagree, but Naruto continued on. "You do love her, I can tell. But I love her in a different way. I love her as a sister."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Who knew that the knucklehead was that observant？

Mikotsu POV

I smirked to myself as Sasuke exited the room. Of course, the kiss was just a test, the same test he had given me (woohoo for my awesome skills!). And yes, he had failed his own test.

I could burst into laughter right now, but I believe the nurse told me not to do anything that would upset my stomach. She also said that I couldn't go on any missions for at least two weeks, which sucked like hell. I mean, the chunin exams are coming up! I needed all the training I could get.

I tried moving my leg, but as soon as it moved a millimeter, my leg nerves shrieked in protest.

"Shit..." I cursed softly. I had hoped that sheer willpower alone could help me heal faster, but I guess I was wrong. Seems that willpower has a limit.

I sat on the plain hospital bed for minutes, just staring outside the window. A jonin leading a group of genin were eating in front of a shop, talking delightedly. How I wished I could join them...If only I didn't run off last night. I didn't blame Sasuke at all; it was entirely my fault. I mean, he couldn't have known that I was going to run and get myself half-killed, could he? But another part of me said that I was forgiving Sasuke too easily, that this was all his fault. He was the one who pushed me over the edge of cliff in my mind. Then my other side would just say that it was my fault since I didn't bring my gourd, and I should have been more careful. That I should have taken all my stuff before dashing out the door.

Or maybe I could just learn some non-sand-based attacks (aside from Shadow Clone Jutsu)? Then I wouldn't be so reliant on sand, and it could be a nasty surprise for my opponent if he was expecting sand attacks throughout the fight. But would I have the time to? And who could I learn it from?

My first thought was to ask Sasuke. After all, Sakura doesn't have much ninjutsu, she relies more on taijutsu. Naruto's move - Shadow Clone Jutsu - I've already learned. Aside from that, Naruto has Transformation Jutsu, which I also knew.

That left Sasuke. Sasuke, with his sharingan eye, had a whole lot more jutsus at hand. I couldn't obtain the sharingan off of him, considering that it was a bloodline jutsu. But I could learn his Fireball technique...after all, that was a ninjutsu that I could learn easily.

At least, I hoped I could learn it easily. I've seen him practicing it before, over the lake - practicing it, perfecting it, until it was 100% perfect. And he was still practicing it, even in his late academy years. And the early genin days too. It was almost as if he was reaching for an impossible goal, something that he knew he could never achieve, but always kept trying. Like the way Naruto does, always trying to earn the respect of the people around him, always trying, always. Even when it seemed impossible, he still kept at it, even after someone noticed him.

The two of them were so alike, I realized. Both of them were isolated, but differently. Naruto, with his cheerful personality, was isolated because of the demon inside of him. Sasuke, however, was isolated because he didn't want attention. If only those two blockheads would realize how similar they were...or maybe they're doing this because they realize it. The bond they shared.

I sighed out loud, realizing my thoughts were getting off track, as they normally do when I'm bored as hell. Going back to the original problem...wait, what was the problem anyways? Oh yeah, so I needed a variety of jutsus. Now, even if I could learn Sasuke's Fireball Jutsu, would he teach me it? I mean, he probably hates me now... Even more so that before. If I asked him, he'd probably just say no.

But it's worth a try, eh?

**Suuuuuper long chapter, hope you're happy ^_^ **

**Happy Thanksgiving and an early April Fools, guys!**

**Please leave a review cuz the holidays are coming! *goes to eat some turkey***


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Sorry for not updating for so long. I was banned from the computer cuz i didn't finish my Chinese essay on time (i'm STILL working on it right now!) and I had/have a terrible cold right now *sneezes*  
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Mikotsu POV

"Please, please, please?" I begged Sasuke. "Can I _please_ learn your Fireball Jutsu?" I clasped my hands together, pleading with him. I had explained my situation already when he came to visit me, a couple days later.

Sasuke smirked at me. "Well, of course. Apparently, you forgot that I still have to do what you tell me to for a couple more days."

"Oh yeah..." I grinned. "Forgot for a sec." Then my face turned deathly serious. "Really? Can I?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Why not?"

"Yay!" I beckoned for him to get closer. He did so, and I wrapped my arms around him. I could feel his surprise by this show of affection, but I disregarded it. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun!" This time, I was half-serious about the Sasuke- "kun" part.

He stood there awkwardly, until I let him go. "You should loosen up, Sasuke. Really."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, then left the room silently. I wasn't worried that I offended him at all. Nor do I really care.

Sasuke and Naruto visited me almost everyday after their missons, coming to tell me how it went. Kakashi-sensei came one day too, and told me that I should start worrying about the chunin exams. Even Aiko came, bringing me some of my favorite snack - mochi. Those deathly evil pieces of gooey flour thingy and red bean inside...I'm so hungry now. However, Sakura never came, nor did she send some form of apology through Naruto or Sasuke.

A week later, the nurse in charge of my room told me that I could leave the hospital occasionally. But, I'd still have to return to make sure that my chakra system's still working correctly, and that my leg muscles aren't torn again. She told me not to use my chakra too much, and not to use any extreme ninjutsu, nor to go on any extreme missions.

I, of course, had agreed to all those requests. Now, whether I would obey them or not is another matter altogether...

As soon as I could leave the hospital (on a crutch), I hobbled over to my apartment. I took a nice quick shower, changed clothes, took some rice balls (mochis are so much better!), then hopped out the window with my crutch. When I landed, I instantly regretted my decision to jump out through the window. My leg hurt like hell, and I couldn't guarantee that I hadn't ripped my muscles. I tentatively moved my leg, fearing the worst, but my leg was fine.

I let out a puff of air, then limped to Team 7's training ground, trying not to use my crutch too much.

"Mikotsu!" Naruto waved energetically at me when I arrived. I waved back, then continued my limp to him. Sasuke and Sakura were there too, but Kakashi-sensei was nowhere to be found. Either they finished a mission, or a mission hasn't started yet. I hoped it was the latter, since sitting on the hospital bed for a week really made me itching for action. But the nurse did tell me not to go on missions...aw hell. Too bad...

"Hey." I grinned cheerfully, but was soon cut off as Naruto half-tackled me down. I gasped for breath. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Naruto! You're gonna break my leg again if you do that!" But I couldn't help ruffling his hair happily as he hugged me on my waist. The fresh air was boosting my mood by hops and leaps, even Sasuke's attitude won't be able make my mood drop!

I glanced over at said boy. His hair was as chicken-assed as always, but something was off. He wasn't ignoring Sakura, in fact, Sakura wasn't even talking to him!

I stalked over to the two of them, Naruto following.

"Okay, _what_, may I ask, is wrong with this scene here?" I pointed accusingly at Mr. Emo-Prickhead and Ms. Bright-pink-excuse-for-a-ninja who wasn't bothering "her precious Sasuke-kun" at all.

Sakura turned away as soon as I approached the two of them, so I glared at Sasuke. "Hm?"

Sasuke shrugged, with a glint of warmth in his normally ice-cold eyes. "I don't know." He sounded as if he didn't care, but his lips slowly turned upwards into a small smile. _But I sure am glad that she's not bothering me anymore, _his actions seemed to say.

**That was pretty short with not a lot of action, pretty dull considered the previous chapter was so exciting! I sorta decided a system of when I'm updating: every Saturday-Sunday. But I have a lot of HW (a whole chapter of notes...ugh.) and I NEED to memorize all of my geometry theorems! I got a B- on my last test, so now I have to work extra hard to get my grade back to an A...sigh. So busy...I'll probably update every week to two weeks or so...  
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**May I have a review for all my hard work? Please?**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

Mikotsu POV

"That was a very nice mission," Kakashi-sensei observed. The most recent mission had been perfect, no arguments between Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura wasn't bothering Sasuke, everything that I had been hoping for.

"Yeah, except I had to sit it out because of my lame leg," I growled enviously to Naruto. "Why couldn't Sakura just left me alone, and let me go on with my business that day?"

Naruto nodded slowly. I could tell he was debating whether to take my side as my best friend, or Sakura's side since he was infatuated with her.

I shrugged when I noticed his struggle. "It's fine, I guess. You don't have to take my side for everything."

Naruto let out a puff of air. "No, you're right. Sakura shouldn't have done that to you."

I grinned. "That's why everyone who ignored you when you were young are idiots. They missed out on having a great friend." I laughed, and Naruto soon joined in.

"Am I really that great?" he asked, serious.

"Yeah, you are. Why?"

"Well, you know me. I'm like this because I try to hide how much of a failure I really am..." He trailed off, looking sullenly at the ground. "Do you really think that I deserve your friendship? Do you...like who I really am?"

I gave him a funny look. I could tell he'd been thinking about this for a long time, and it had taken him courage to actually ask that. "Naruto...what makes you think that I don't like you? I really do like you for what you are. You're Naruto, a bright blob of sunshine in the middle of a dark forest. You're the light that saved me from my forest of lonliness...how could you think that I'm just faking our friendship? Do you think that I don't deserve your friendship because I'm an outcast of this village?"

Naruto didn't reply for a while, and that made me scared. Then, I realized what I had said: ...an outcast of this village. Wasn't Naruto, the holder of Kyuubi, an actual outcast? Compared to him, I had it easy. People didn't like me just because I wasn't from this village; that was understandable. But Naruto...what had he done? Nothing; it wasn't his fault that Kyuubi was sealed inside of him (or rather, that's what I heard from the jonin on the secret Hokage council). Naruto could have had a better life, had those jonin not been stupid enough to put a _monster _in a child! Naruto was just getting blamed for something he didn't do...

"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto looked at me quizzically. I had stopped walking back to the hospital, and Naruto had stopped as well.

"Yes, I'm fine..." I looked up and faced the way in front of me again. "Let's go."

We walked in silence for a while more, which was unusual for both of us. Naruto didn't seem to have anything to say for once, and I was lost in my thoughts. I felt like I was on the verge of remembering something important, but I didn't know what it was. My body was feeling on the edge, but my brain was a long way back.

"Naruto...do you remember how you met me?" I asked suddenly, desperate for some unnatural noise. The quiet had scared me, since Naruto almost always supplied a topic to talk about.

"Yeah, you were getting yelled at by Iruka-sensei for stealing some important paper from him. Normal people would've admitted their defeat, but you yelled back, and saying something that the paper was important to you or something, and you had to read it," Naruto said cheerfully, the sullen silence suddenly gone. "Then you were wrestling it out of his hands, and somehow, you stopped and took another scroll off of his desk, yelling about how that one was a fake and you had the real one. Then Iruka-sensei practically flew at you, and you jumped out the window, dodging him like the ninja you were. I think Iruka-sensei said something how he's never seen someone who could detect fake scrolls that easily, and that he was impressed or something. He gave up the chase and let you go, but I wanted to see where you were going with such an important item, so I followed you out the window. Of course, Iruka-sensei was mad already, and me skipping class just added fuel to the fire."

I laughed as I remembered Iruka-sensei's face. "Iruka-sensei looked ready to murder us, with steam practically spewing out of his ears!"

Naruto laughed as well, then continued. "So I followed you, and found out that you weren't in the academy any more. So I left too, determined to see what scroll said. And then I found you; you were up on the roof of my apartment, muttering about how the scroll didn't make any sense."

I nodded. That scroll was talking about a peace treaty confirmed with Sunagakure, but I knew that wasn't possible. Because I remembered the council talking about the threat of war with another village, something that peace treaties were nothing but words on paper, and that action confirmed truth. Some of the council members thought that treaties were meaningless, other thought that we should place more trust in other nations. I had left as soon as they started talking about using nine-tails in battle, because even thought I didn't know Naruto that well back then, I knew they shouldn't use someone who's practically the same age as me, in battle. Though I didn't know it when I was that young, I had the feeling that this talk of battle was supposed to _mean_ something important.

But everything was fine now. Life was good (aside from my broken leg), Sasuke's being an ass, Sakura's not being a bitch, and chunin exams were coming up! I just hoped that my leg would be fine by then; I didn't want to hinder my team any further than I had to.

**Two weeks on the dot. Yay me!**

**This actually took a lot less time that I thought, once I had an avid plan to work with. I'm not sure if I said that Mikotsu met Naruto somewhere/sometime else, but this is the version I'm gonna stick with. I feel like this could be the first time they actually recognize each other presence, there's gonna be another version of where they bond together and become good friends. This is just when they become friends...**

**Review!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**I just realized, I used "Amegakure" for where Zabuza's from. Just realized he's from "Kirigakure". If I messed up before, sorry. Pretty sure it's Kirigakure, not Amegakure. Village of Mist, Village of Rain. BIG difference.**

**Oh yes, Merry Early Christmas, everyone! And Kwanza, Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you celebrate!  
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Mikotsu POV

"So, Sasuke, where are you taking me?" I asked curiously. The nurse had been more lenient nowadays, since my injuries were almost recovered completely. She told me to come back only once a week for a check, and I could go on missions now.

And as soon as she had let me go, I had dashed over to Sasuke's place and had asked him to teach me his Fireball Jutsu, since I was more or less confined to the hospital until now.

After I asked, he had told me to follow him and led me to...somehwere.

"Don't worry, it's not any further now." If the Uchiha could sound gentle while being harsh, he sure did now. "Your wounds aren't going to come back from this little exercise, now are they?"

I glared at him. "Are you accusing me of being weak?"

He shrugged slightly, almost unnoticeable. "Perhaps."

I growled at him. "I'll remind you, I was the one who kicked your butt back at Kirigakure."

He bristled slightly, but didn't make a snappy comeback as he normally would. Probably because I spoke truth.

"So where are we going?"

Sasuke sighed. "The lake."

I gave him a curious look. "Are you feeling okay? There aren't any lakes close to here."

Sasuke sighed again. "It's on the outskirts of the Uchiha Residence."

"Ohhh..." No wonder we were walking _away_ from the village!

* * *

><p>"No, idiot, breathe in and hold it!" Sasuke yelled from the side of the lake.<p>

I glared at him from the bridge. "Shut up, it's harder than you think!"

He glared back at me, then repeated, in a calmer voice, "Breathe in and hold it, then mold your chakra there."

I sighed. This was my fiftieth attempted at the damned Fireball Jutsu. Sasuke had told me that it would be very hard, considering I'm not a fire-element wielder. Guess he was right for once.

I took a deep breath and held it in my chest. Then I imagined chakra swirling around in there, molding it so that it could fit perfectly. _Focus...focus! _I squeezed my eyes shut and _looked_ at the chakra, then tried to change it to fire, just enough to burn, but not so much that it'd char my insides.

_Focus! _When I felt I had maximized my chakra inside of my chest, I opened my mouth and blew out over the lake side, still keeping my eyes shut, imagining fire spewing out of my mouth. I thoroughly felt stupid at that very second. But Sasuke's next word erased that thought.

"Good."

I slowly opened one eye, still blowing out of my mouth. And there was this little flame spurting from my mouth, barely a foot long, half a foot wide, and about three inches deep.

I instantly shut my mouth. "Oh my..." I fell down on my knees, exhausted of energy and chakra. After fifty-one attempts, I could finally manage a small flame. Sasuke came over and sat next to me, just sitting there, not giving me comfort or yelling at me. Not that I expected him to, really.

"Was I wickedly awesome or not?" I breathed out. I didn't realize how much chakra I expanded from this simple exercise.

"No. You could have done better." His tone was disapproving of my excitement, almost as if he was an over-protective father disapproving of my choice of who I spend time with.

"You know that this was extremely hard for me to do, right?" I looked at him from the side of my vision, noticing his blank stare over the lake.

"Yes, should that change my opinion in any way?"

"Well, yeah, considering I'm not a natural-born fire-element wielder! If I were an Uchiha, it'd be so much easier for me to do this! You know that..." I trailed off as I noticed Sasuke's expression change from nothing to a hint of anger.

"Don't mention that in front of me again, please..." He started muttering under his breath while I marveled at his use of please.

"Why not?" I asked, once I recovered.

He turned and gave me a very, very, VERY, pained and angry glare. "You should be glad you're not an Uchiha, Mikotsu Sabaku." This was the first time he ever said my full name, and he said it like it was a good thing.

I just kept staring at him, trying to understand his pain, but failing. "Why?" I asked again, dumbly.

**I'm gonna be going into the Uchiha Massacre next chapter (hopefully). I know it was kinda short, but please bear with me! I promise I'm trying my best to update, but it's kinda hard, considering I have four active fanfics, and I'm working on a three-shot right now :) I promise *does the Naruto thumbs up from Sasuke Retrival Arc* I will be updating all my fics one more time this month! I swear it upon my honor as a ninja!**

**Please review! (why do I keep adding that at the end of my fanfics? I mean, no one ever listens to me anyways...)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**I got this up quickly cuz it was kinda like part 2 of the previous chapter...  
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**Oh yes, I haven't been keeping track of days, but the week is over already :( no more fun dares for Sasuke-kun! No more miniskirts and eight-inch heels :'( And I had this great plan in my head...maybe I'll make it a one-shot?**

**Oh yes, answer to madin456's question, I do believe controlling sand is a Wind element, so Mikotsu's wind type :) I actually did research on what wind and fire's combo is, like lava, gold, dust, etc. Turns out wind just boosts the power of fire. What a let-down.  
><strong>

Mikotsu POV

"Do you remember...back when we first formed our three-man cells?" Sasuke asked quietly, almost inaudibly.

I nodded. "You said you had someone to kill. Is this what it's about?"

He paused for a long moment, staring over the lake. The sun was setting, bleeding the lake red like blood. That totally set the mood for what was happening right now.

"Kind of..." He refused to look at me and kept staring at the lake, as if that held the answers I was looking for. "I survived, by a sheer accident."

"What kind of accident?" I lowered my voice, matching the mood of the conversation.

"I was only eight at that time...I stayed late to practice shuriken throwing at the academy, so late that it was almost night. When I went back to the Uchiha residence, there was not a living soul anywhere. But that wasn't unusual, it was late at night so everyone was probably asleep. Or that's what I thought, until I saw him..." The usually stoic Uchiha shuddered, a movement that was so strange for him. It was as if he was exposed right now, vulnerable to anything in this world. It seemed that if a puff of wind was blowing now, he would be reduced to bits from the slight force. I couldn't help but inch my hand over so that I could hold his, an expression that I was there for him right now.

Sasuke gripped my hand back, a movement that surprised me, but I didn't dwell on it. "Him?" I asked patiently. "Who?"

"My brother." I could feel the bones in my hand cracking right now, the force of his grip causing it. "He was standing in front of Mother's and Father's dead bodies...I thought he had been trying to save them, but he wasn't! He was the one that killed them, he made me watch their deaths over and over with his Mangekyo Sharingan..." I could barely feel my hand now. "He left me alone, only because I was too weak. He was right; I was weak. I couldn't do anything as he murdered the Uchiha clan, I couldn't do anything to protect them, I couldn't save Mother and Father, I couldn't..." Sasuke gave a slight hiccup, and I realized that tears were starting to leak out of his eyes.

Despite the core of steel in my heart, I reached over and held him closely. "I wish I could help you with your pain, but I can't." This...weakness inside of Sasuke that I never knew existed... it almost made me feel sorry for him. It made me feel terrible, because I used to think he was a snob, one of the high people of society - unsocial, talented, and silent. But it seems that he was only reaching for a higher goal, giving up his emotions to achieve that goal. To kill the person who killed his family, his friends, his people.

Instead of brushing me off like I expected him to, he clutched onto me, surprising me yet again. I think I've learned more about the Uchiha today than every other day.

"I'll be here for you Sasuke," I murmured, "like you said in Kirigakure...We'll always be there for each other, won't we?" I smiled over at him. It was my turn to return the comfort he gave me back then.

He half-snuggled up to me, which was weird considering he's a taller, bigger, and supposedly more emotionless than me. But I liked it; it felt warm, in the dark pits of my heart.

"Sasuke..." My tone held a slight warning note, but I stopped. What are you doing? This is not like you at all!...was what I wanted to say. But I could feel his even breathing, and I knew, instinctively, that he was asleep. When Naruto and I were younger, we used to help each other sleep all the time, so I knew what it sounded like when someone was asleep.

* * *

><p><span>Sakura POV<span>

"There it is again!" I growled from behind a bush. Mikotsu spending time alone with _my _Sasuke-kun... But it was obvious that I lost the battle for Sasuke-kun's affection this round. Here he was, holding hands with Mikotsu, and letting her hug him! As if I didn't know what she was doing...taking advantage of Sasuke-kun's moment of weakness to give him a hug... She was no worse than Ino-pig! But Sasuke's calmness and acceptance of this whole matter was what scared me the most. I remembered what he said to me when I had almost killed Mikotsu, "I don't care if you love me, because I've already given my heart to someone else." And he had practically confirmed that his heart was given to Mikotsu.

But...does Mikotsu know that? She was unconscious when Sasuke-kun had said that, the chances of her knowing his affection was very low; it was possible I could separate them apart before they even get together...

_Oh Sakura, you devil._

**Once again, Happy Holidays to y'all!  
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**Dun dun dun...! What has Sakura got in mind for these two lovebirds? What's going to happen? What will Sasuke say do once he realizes that he did what he did, said what he said?**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter!~ Oh yes, and please review! I promise I'll get the chapter out soon if you do~**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Listening to Sasuke's cowboy theme with another theme combined...pretty motivational actually. **

**www. youtube. com/ watch/?v=Xc7lUbWEbqY&feature=related (take out all the spaces)**

**In case you guys were wondering, Mikotsu doesn't remember her flashbacks during her black-out.**

**"With old age comes wisdom."  
>"With old age also comes memory loss, so that wisdom is wasted."<br>**

Sasuke POV

A cold gust of wind quickly woke me up. Unconsciously, I had fallen asleep, while training with Mikotsu.

"Mmm..." I slowly sat up straight, feeling warmth leaving me as I did so, and the sound of an arm falling. I turned and suddenly realized that I had fallen asleep while leaning against Mikotsu, who had fallen asleep as well.

"Holy mother..." I trailed off, my cheeks burning at remembering what had happened. That...was so unlike me. My emotionless shell had been breached by this girl, and then I had actually relied on her for help. I wanted to erase what had happened from both of our memories, and anyone who saw us. Kami, anyone who saw us. What kind of ideas would _they_ have gotten? But, hopefully, that would've given them all a hint, that I wanted to be left alone, that I didn't want them to interfere on my decisions.

I sighed. What just happened just happened. Now I had to live with it.

"...Sasuke?" Mikotsu's groggy voice nearly made me jump up in fright. Nearly. "Are you alright now?"

My cheeks threatened to burn themselves. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

She turned to face me, her green-blue eyes still bleary with sleep, then yawned. "Good." She didn't seem to be ruffled by what had happened, it almost seemed as if she accepted it.

"Aren't you dis-?" My mouth spoke before I could determine what to say, then snapped itself shut. Stupid mouth. That had never happened before.

Mikotsu's piercing gaze was focused on me now. Without realizing it, I had made myself the center of her attention.

"Go on." She gestured with her hands for me to continue speaking, her eyes lightening up with humor. I could tell she was enjoying this.

"Nothing," I muttered silently, looking away.

"If you're wondering whether or not I was disturbed by your momentary weakness," she suddenly said void of humor, arousing my attention. I liked her choice of words."No, I wasn't. I do that with Naruto all the time. If you were talking about your history, yes, I am very disturbed. I don't understand how your brother could do something like that so...effortlessly. So emotionlessly." She sighed, then stood up. "I'm going to go back home, alright? I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to tell me your clan's history and teach me the Fireball Jutsu, and most importantly, rely on me for emotional support." She made a bow in my direction, and I thought she was serious until she burst out laughing.

"Oh Sasuke, you should've seen your face." She grinned like the devil she was. "I'll see you later, then."

She left me standing there, speechless. Was this the same girl who took Naruto's side for every argument, the person who would glare at me as we pass each other in the academy's hallways, the same person who loathed me? I used to think of her as a troublemaker, a person who was never loyal to anyone except herself (and Naruto, of course, they were inseparable). But now, I think I saw the real Mikotsu. She actually was quite a nice person, someone who was humorous, who could hold her head high even after her troubles, someone who would support her friends without a doubt.

Naruto really was lucky to have such a friend.

* * *

><p><span>Mikotsu POV<span>

"Naruto!" I hollered as I crawled in through the apartment's window.

"We have a door, Mikotsu," came an unusually blank voice the direction of Naruto's room. Curious, I hopped through the window, kept it unlocked, and went into my best friend's room.

"Hello to you too," I murmured, sitting down on the bed next to him. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he replied, turning away from me. I could practically hear the unease in his voice.

"Really?" I gently grabbed his shoulder and made him face me. His face was a carefully placed mask to hide his pain. "What's wrong? You can tell me..."

Naruto shook his head sullenly. "It's really nothing." He didn't meet my focused gaze on him; instead he found his hands very interesting.

"Naruto!" I said louder, tilting his head up so he had no choice but to look in my eyes. "Tell me. Please." I added that last word as an afterthought.

He still refused to tell me, but I could feel his will giving away. "Please, Naruto."

He didn't reply for what seemed like eons. "It's Sasuke," he said at last, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What about him?" I asked patiently.

"I feel like he's stealing you away from me... You spend more time with Sasuke nowadays than me." Those two simple sentences contained volumes of hurt. I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way, Naruto. But you have to understand, Sasuke is a part of my life too now. We're all members of Team 7, and if we can learn from each other, our teamwork will be better." When he still said nothing, I continued, "I never really hated Sakura, so we used to hang out too, before Kirigakure, remember? But after that, we kinda avoided each other." I chucked sadly. "I don't get why Sasuke had to separate us apart."

"That's exactly my point, Mikotsu! Sasuke separated you and Sakura, why are you still friends with him? And since you spend so much time with Sasuke, more and more of his fangirls will go after you! Do you know how that makes me feel? When Sakura nearly killed you, I couldn't harm her, because I liked her. If that happens again, do you want to make me have to choose between the two of you?" Naruto's voice rose in pitch. "Or what if you get really hurt next time, and you won't be able to recover? What if you can't be a ninja anymore, because you're permanently crippled?" Naruto shoulders started shaking.

I just stared at him in shock. I hadn't realized that Naruto had been thinking about all this. Neither did I realize how much pain I caused him.

"Naruto...I'm so sorry." I reached out and held him close to me, as I had done with Sasuke a few hours ago. "I'll stop spending so much time with him, alright?"

Naruto sniffed. "No, don't. I'm sorry I'm being selfish, it's not up to me who you spend time with." He didn't try to move away, but neither did he lean in either. Only later did I realize Naruto had fallen asleep, just like Sasuke.

Another reason why those two blockheads should really stop going at each others necks and try to make up.

* * *

><p><em>Day before Chunin exams...<em>

Mikotsu POV

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei."

"Yes?"

The two of us were at the bridge, overlooking a stream. This was the customary meeting place for Team 7, and I had asked Kakashi-sensei to meet me here today.

"Did you know my parents?" I felt that it was time to get this out in the open. "Or siblings?" I put emphasis on that word.

Kakashi-sensei gave me a curious look before answering. "Why?"

"W-well, I was just thinking..." I scratched my chin with a finger, slightly grinning. "If I see them during the chunin exams, I could say hi or something..."

Kakashi-sensei shook his head humorously. "You won't have time for that. You should be worrying about keeping you and your teammates alive, not worrying about your siblings."

_So I do have siblings..._

"But did you know my parents?" I pressed on.

Kakashi-sensei looked at the sky wistfully. "Your parents aren't open to people, and it's not that easy to talk to them."

"Why?"

"Well, I suppose you could consider them royalty."

"Like hokage-class royalty, or rich emperor royalty?"

"Mmm...hokage-class."

_Looks like Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro aren't out of the race yet. _The three of them were the Kazekage's children, after all. And they were roughly the same age as me, so they could actually be my siblings.

"Are they from Konoha?" My breath hitched as I asked the question that would, more or less, confirm it all.

"No," Kakashi-sensei answered instantly. "I hope you're not planning to talk to them." He gave me a glare from his non-sharingan eye. I could tell he knew what I was thinking, and had knowingly given me the necessary information to find out who my family was.

"Of course I won't." Inside, I grinned. Kakashi-sensei practically confirmed what I thought. They were here, right this moment. If they weren't I couldn't talk to them, could I, as Kakashi-sensei had said? "I hope you're not planning to talk to them", he had said.

"Thanks for the information, Kakashi-sensei!" I grinned for real and dashed in the direction of the Sand Sibs' place, as I had nicknamed them.

Kakashi POV

This could be the end of the world, or the start of a new beginning, I thought, rubbing the back of my head. Was it a good idea to tell her? Hokage's orders were to keep our mouths shut and not tell her a thing. But the Sandaime'll forgive me, won't he?

* * *

><p>"Did you?" the Hokage asked curiously. "And what did she do after that?"<p>

"W-well, she just dashed off..." I grinned sheepishly. "She wasn't frustrated by it, if that's what you mean."

The Hokage turned to face me, his face grimly serious. "We'll just have to hope she doesn't try to get revenge on both Suna and Konoha for this."

I nodded quickly. "Of course, Hokage-sama."

* * *

><p><span>Mikotsu POV<span>

"Gaara!" I hollered, dashing into their temporary residence. They were only staying for the chunin exams, after all.

Two heads turned to stare at me as I stood in the doorway, whatever they were doing forgotten.

"You're that girl!" Kankuro, I believe his name was, exclaimed in surprise. "How did you know we were here?"

I ignored his question, and instead looked for the redhead. "Where's Gaara?"

The blonde sister shrugged. "He doesn't really spend time with us..."

"Yeah? Then can you send him a message from me?" I ignored their surprised looks at this request, and told them, "Tell him to meet me on the rooftop tonight. He'll know what I'm talking about."

Kankuro and Temari nodded. "You'll understand if he doesn't meet you there tonight?"

I gave them both a steely glare. "No. So make sure he comes, alright?"

Kankuro gave a little sigh. "Who are you, to order us around?"

I grinned. Time for the bomb to settle. "I'm your little sis." I gave the two surprised siblings a wicked grin, then left the building.

Temari POV

"What?" I screeched at the retreating form, my sisterly attitude discarded for a moment. "Sh-she...she's our sis?" Kankuro looked just as surprised as I felt.

"Who knew..." he muttered, shaking his head. He seemed calmer than me at receiving this shocking piece of news, but I could tell he was bursting with curiosity, just like me. "How did she know? I mean, even we didn't know..."

I just sat there, stunned. How could she be? Okay, so we shared the same last name. Her hair color is mildly similar to Gaara's, as well as her eye color, although Gaara's were more green than blue. Her attitude seemed to be similar to mine...

Those little similarities really adds up, huh?

"Now we just have to wait for Gaara to come..."

* * *

><p><span>Mikotsu POV<span>

"Naruto, you don't have to stay here with me," I said for the fifth time this night.

"No, I want to!" Naruto whined. "I want to be here when you meet with that creepy sand dude! He might kill you or something!"

I sighed. "Well, you could at least get a blanket; you'll freeze to death if you won't."

"But what if he comes here when I'm gone? And when I return, you're already dead?"

"Naruto! Don't imagine things like that! I can fight, and you'd probably hear me scream or something!"

"But what if he kills you before you notice? And you're still kind of injured from that fight with Sasuke's fangirls..."

Once again, I realized that Naruto was only concerned for my sake, and that made me feel guilty. He wasn't arguing just for the fun of it, he cared.

I sighed once again. "I'll just get a blanket with my sand then..." I stretched my hand out, summoned chakra, and then the sand flew to life. I controlled it with my mind to get the blankets, acting as if the sand was my own hand, just stretched out. My eyes instinctively closed, concentrated on the task at hand, not allowing myself to get distracted by what I'd see with my eyes; instead, the sand was my eyes.

"Got it..." I dragged the sand up with my will, plopping it down on top of Naruto.

"Hey!" He fumbled to get the blanket off of him, but failing. I grinned and sent the sand back into the gourd, then proceeded to lift the blanket off of my blond friend.

"Did you know a dog's smartness can be measured by how quickly it escapes from a blanket over its head?" I asked innocently, perhaps a little too innocently, because Naruto growled out, "Well, I'm not a dog."

I laughed while ruffling his hair. "Of course you're not! I'm just teasing you!"

He grinned in reply, accepting the joke, and wrapped the blanket over both of us.

**I was going to make this two chapters, but I decided, naw, I'm just gonna post this up as one big chapter. **

**Nothing interesting happening in this chapter...kinda XD The second part is pretty important.  
>Chunin exams are coming up next chapter though! Woo-hoo! Can't wait~<strong>

**BTW, I was half asleep while writing this chapter, some of the sentences are probably weird, messed up, confusing, OOC, half finished, etc. Don't blame me!  
>Oh yes, school starts in two days, so this is the probably the last chap for these couple weeks.<br>**

**You guys better review then, cause I took my time and wrote a pretty long chap :)  
><strong>


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**After WEEKS and WEEKS of putting this off...  
><strong>

**Studying for Science Olympiad made me forget about my fanfictions...sorry :( And I was too busy reading fanfictions so...please forgive me? :)**

**Thanks to Diana for reminding me to post new chapters...I've been lazy and forgetting...ahahaha. I need a friend like you around!  
><strong>

Gaara POV

After Temari had told me that Mikotsu had a message for me at the roof, I had immediately left to meet her. I hadn't had a chance to talk with her in a while, not that I disliked the quiet that substituted her emptiness. But, I was kind of eager to see her again. She was easygoing around people, even people she didn't know. She didn't care that I was a demon (does she even remember me telling her?), and she had a demon friend too. She was very bright and outgoing, although she does fall asleep easily. I've always wondered human beings can do that...

I shook my head to clear the thoughts and focused on where Mikotsu's apartment house was. I already forgot about the fact that she gave me her address on the same piece of paper that Temari gave me that had our address on it. Instead, I relied on Shukaku's sense of smell to lead me there, giving the demon my total trust.

* * *

><p><span>Mikotsu POV<span>

"He's coming, he's coming!" I half-whispered excitedly to Naruto.

"Uwah...who?"

I turned to face the energetic blond to find that he was almost asleep. His eyes were blank, and his mouth was open in an "o" shape, yawning.

"Gaara!" I almost hopped up and down, until I remembered that I had a blanket over me. I quickly lifted it off my shoulders, the sudden coldness biting at my shoulders. I immediately sat back down and cuddled in the blanket.

"Gaara!" I repeated, louder, waving at him. I knew he saw me already, but I wanted to do something, to make it feel like I was helping.

The redhead lightly landed next to Naruto and me and stared at the blond next to me. "What's he doing here?"

I grinned. "Big news, so I thought I should tell it to both of you guys at once." I took a deep breath and tried to make the scene as dramatic as possible.

"I am..."

Pause.

Pause.

"...pregnant with Sasuke's child."

"Say what?" Naruto yelled immediately, probably waking up half the neighborhood. Gaara just stared/glared at me, as if asking me why I called him over to tell him that.

"I'm so sorry Naruto!" I cried out fake tears. "I didn't want it, but he, he..." I sniffed really loudly, just to make the scene more believable.

Naruto started racking my shoulders in surprise. "What? That Uchiha...I knew I should've...!" He stopped his breathless exclamationand let out a string of curses. His face was red from...whatever he was suffering from.

I almost laughed, until I felt a tap on the back of my head. A really hard tap on the back of my head.

It wasn't Naruto, because he was staring in space in shock. Neither could it have been Gaara, because he hadn't moved and still looked indifferent.

Slowly, I turned around.

"S-Sasuke...?" I stuttered out in fright, trying desperately to hide my fear. The Uchiha was glaring fireballs at me, his eyes were literally smoking. He was radiating blood-lust, anger, and a desire to kill someone. Hope that wasn't me. Wait, why was he here anyways?

"What. Are. You. Doing!" Sasuke's voice rose in pitch as he leaned closer and yanked me up to his face, so close that I could feel his breath on my face. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

I glared into his un-Sharingan eyes (whew) and whispered as calmly as I could, "But I _am_ pregnant with your child!"

I received a punch in the gut for my awesomeness.

* * *

><p><span>Mikotsu POV<span>

Apparently, Sasuke came because he saw us, Naruto and me, climb up to the roof, and then saw another figure coming towards us. He just immediately came to investigate, or so he says.

"Alright...so," I started, clutching at my stomach in pain, "I am not pregnant with Sasuke's child."

"Of course."

"But the what I'm about to say is pretty shocking," I continued, trying to make the moment as suspenseful as possible. When the three boys didn't react, I "psh"ed at them. "You guys are no fun."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, Gaara glared at me (as usual), and Naruto just patiently (well as patient as he could be) waited for me to speak.

"Guess what Gaara?"

The redhead just glared at me, and growled out, "What?"

"I'm your sister!"

Everyone stared at me in disbelief.

"I'm serious this time!"

Continued stare.

"I'm seriously serious!"

I faced Naruto. "You believe me, don't you?"

Naruto still stared at me in shock. "When did you know this?" he forced out slowly.

"Um, a few hours ago? I wanted to tell you guys at the same time, well not Sasuke really, but yeah! That way, I won't have to retell the story over and over again!" I closed my eyes and prepared for Sasuke and Naruto to yell at me at the same time.

Turns out they didn't. Instead, Gaara said, "Does Temari and Kankuro know about this?"

I nodded eagerly at any excuse to get rid of the awkward moment. "Yeah! I told them already when I went looking for you!"

Gaara nodded coldly in reply, then vanished.

"Damn that ninja..." I cursed under my breath. "He could have made a more dramatic reaction! But then again, I wasn't expecting him to react visibly, anyways." I looked at where he was standing only a few moments ago. "Why can't I do that?"

**This chapter was kind of short... But then again, not a lot of you guys reviewed! Which is strange, considering this is the story that keeps getting added to Favorites list...or so the emails tell me. This story gets the least reviews per chapter, but gets the most Alert/Favorite...so I'm confused.**

**Are you guys against me? Is that why you're not reviewing? :'(**


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**I have a Naruto poll up on my profile, it's my first one so I'm not sure if I did it right... :P please vote! I will be asking for ideas later on...**

**Hell, I feel evil about what I'm going to do...**

**Slight warning: Hint of SasuNaru! And a very...very...VERY...oblivious Mikotsu, devious Sakura, and innocent Naruto and Sasuke who have no idea what's going on...  
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Mikotsu POV

After Gaara left, Sasuke quickly disappeared too, and Naruto and I soon crashed into bed, getting ready for the long day tomorrow. Chunin exams... What kind of test would it be? Is it going to be a written test? A taijutsu or ninjutsu test? Or maybe it tests your teamwork... After all, Kakashi-sensei did stress that topic when we were aiming to become part of Team Seven.

I flopped over onto my side. I could feel a migraine coming on from thinking about this. My brain was going back to Academy-mode, where sleep was the awesomest thing in the world and nothing else mattered. Nothing...

But now, I have to worry about survival, my relationship with the Sand Sibs, my relationship with _Sasuke_, and my relationship with all his fangirls that were out for my blood. I mentally shivered at the thought and dragged my mini-gourd closer to me. I didn't want a replay of what happened a few months ago.

My last thought before I fell to sleep was, "I wish I had an awesome gourd like Gaara's..."

* * *

><p>"Mikotsu! Wake up! Chunin exams!" The urgent voice of my best friend woke me up. I couldn't remember the last time Naruto woke up earlier than I did.<p>

"Naruto..." I breathed in heavily and twisted around. The bed was so warm... "Just five more minutes... No need to charge in half-asleep..." I yawned.

"No! Mikotsu! Get up!" Naruto started shaking me. "We need to hurry! We're already late!"

That snapped me out of my happy place. "What?" I instantly shot up. "What time is it?"

"Five minutes past when we were supposed to meet Sasuke and Sakura at the bridge...," he called from the other room.

"Shit." I quickly brushed through my long hair with my hand, then changed clothes. I remembered to wear a light jacket over it, just so that I could have an extra set of protection against attacks. Then I grabbed my ninja tool pouch, made sure that I had the maximum I could carry, and clipped my gourd onto my belt strap. The Konoha forehead protector shone proudly on my waist.

"Y'done, Naruto?" I hollered through the door. He hadn't appeared yet.

"Almost, let me get this... Okay, I'm done!" Naruto showed up in the doorway, wearing his usual bright orange clothing.

I sighed. "Naruto, why don't you wear something that'll make you less obvious? I mean, I can probably see you from a mile away." I stood up and prepared to make him wear something less visible.

Naruto pouted. "But I feel comfortable in this! I can't move if I wear one of the things you tell me to!" He turned, trying to block the way. "C'mon, let's just go! I'll be fine in this!"

I sighed, giving in. "Fine, let's just go. We're late as is. I wouldn't be surprised it Kakashi-sensei arrived before us..."

* * *

><p>"I'm not sure if I said this already, but Mikotsu, you are going to be participating in these exams. It's alright to have a team of four, because that just means one more person you have to keep alive and one more person to hinder your team." Kakashi-sensei gave us a half-bored look. "I'll be seeing you guys later."<p>

When he poofed away, silence reigned over us four genin.

"...that's it?" I muttered. "No pep talk?"

"That was disappointing," Sakura agreed. "I was expecting him to give us some hints on how to survive."

"No kidding," I said, nodding. "But I'm sure with your precious _Sasuke-kun_, we'll be fine!" I couldn't resist adding an insult.

Strangely, Sakura didn't reply, but seemed to be staring in space. Uh-oh. Not a good thing. Definitely not a good thing. Quiet Sakura equals evil plotting bitch. But I just shrugged it off as being paranoid.

That was the first warning.

When we started heading towards the exam sight, Sakura started making small talk with me, rather than bother "Sasuke-kun".

Second warning.

"Hey, Mikotsu-chan, did you know that Sasuke...?" Sakura's voice trailed off in a gossipy manner, almost a bit evil. She took advantage of the fact that Sasuke and Naruto were more that a couple feet away.

Third warning.

"What?" I asked, oblivious to her trap.

"Did you that Sasuke..." She lowered her voice. "...is going out with Naruto?"

I quickly glared at her to make sure that she wasn't joking. She wasn't. Her eyes were full of tears, as a Sasuke fangirl could be expected to do. Then I glanced over at Naruto. He was talking with Sasuke. Talking. Not fighting. But talking. I could feel a breeze going through my gaping mouth.

My mind instantly flashed to last night. Naruto did tell me that he didn't want me to keep talking with Sasuke...could he have been acting out of jealousy? Then I switched my gaze to Sasuke. He was talking back to Naruto. Not ignoring him. But talking. Not yelling either, but talking.

Either I'm dreaming or Naruto really did get together with Sasuke. Or Sakura was faking this. I glared at the pink-haired kuniochi again. She was wiping tears from her eyes.

"We were all devastated when we heard that they were together..." Sakura whimpered out. I assumed that "they" meant the Sasuke fan-club. "We were hoping that he was joking when he told us... But don't tell Sasuke or Naruto! We swore not to tell a soul!"

I ignored her. My brain was frying itself into bits. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Then I realized the stabbing pain in my heart. I clutched at my chest, trying to ease the invisible wound, but it wasn't working.

Is this...is this what they would call...a broken heart?

But that didn't make sense! I didn't love Naruto any more than a brother...I haven't felt any sexual need from all the time we spent together alone... Then my thoughts flew to the other person in the relationship.

...Sasuke. Was it Sasuke?

Why? I wanted to ask, but my mouth seemed to have shut itself closed, as opposed to a few minutes ago when it was hanging open like a flycatcher. Why had this happened? How did it happen?

Sakura POV

Beneath my mask of tears and heartbreak, I was laughing my butt off. I couldn't believe that stupid Mikotsu actually fell for it! My Inner Sakura was gleefully throwing a party at my victory.

Now, I could have Sasuke all for myself, and with any luck, Mikotsu wouldn't trust Naruto anymore. By herself, she would be weak. We could take her down.

Naruto wouldn't be coming to save her this time.

**Sigh...so this is how Sakura acts when they're about to charge into the face of death...AKA the Chunin exams...**

**Please review! I need suggestions for what should happen; should Mikotsu ask Sasuke or Naruto about their current status? Or should she just blindly swallow it up?**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**MUAHAHAHAHA! So Miko's gonna be VERY gullible and avoid Sasuke and Naruto...**

**Did you realize it's been a month already since I last updated? :\ I just did.  
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Mikotsu POV

On the whole way to the site for the Chunin exams, I didn't say a word to either Sasuke or Naruto. I hung in the back of the group, behind even Sakura, and she's usually the last one. On the one occasion where Naruto attempted to talk to me, I brushed him off and told him I was busy thinking, which was half true. He left me alone after that and continued to talk to Sasuke. However, Sasuke soon noticed my quietness and kept shooting me glances, but I brushed them off just as I had brushed Naruto off.

We arrived at the first Chunin exam site sooner than I hoped for. I didn't want to be over-thinking everything, especially not when the exam starts. I couldn't help but feel...well...betrayed. Naruto was and still is my best friend, yet he didn't tell me he was in a relationship with Sasuke. And I thought we were part deceit and trickery. But apparently not.

As we neared the Academy (that was the first Chunin exams spot), we all heard someone say, "Is someone as talentless as you really planning to take the Chunin selection exam? Why bother?" Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and I exchanged a quick glance, then picked up the pace. All thoughts about Sasuke and Naruto's relationship were gone by this new distraction. The only thing on my mind was the Chunin exams.

"Please...we're begging you. Please let us in," a Chinese looking girl in buns said pleadingly. All she received for her plea was a slap in the face. She fell back, next to a bowl-cut guy, with huge eyebrows, clad in a green jumpsuit who was also beaten up. Weird...

"Hey!" I cried, outrageous. "What are you doing?" I rushed over and propped her up onto her back. Her forehead protector had the Konaha sign inscribed in it, so I assumed it was okay to trust her. I glared up defiantly at the two youths blocking the door. The area behind them smelled odd...very unnatural...

"Hey, we're just weeding out the obvious losers beforehand. I mean, there's no way someone like _you _could take the test and pass," the guy with the sneer said in contempt. The other guy continued, "Chunins are leaders. They have to be responsible for their comrades; what hope do you rookies have to make the right decisions?"

Their words struck a chord in my mind. They were right, chunins were team leaders. They do have to responsible for whatever may happen to their teammates. How can we, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and I, expect to be ready to withstand that job when were were barely genin?

When I went back into focus, I realized that I had missed the reply to the challenge. But I could tell it was Sasuke who said it, because people were staring at him weirdly. I almost snickered. Of course people would think he was weird! Then I remember what Sakura told me, and my joy vanished my dew in the morning sun.

"Obviously, we're not on the third floor. This is just a genjutsu," Sakura stated with a bold glare and smile.

Eh? When did she determine that? But that would explain the scent I had smelled earlier. Genjutsu smelled differently, I concluded. I guess you do learn something new every day.

"Figured that out, did you?" the guy with the giant shuriken sneered at Sasuke. "Well, seeing through it isn't going to help you if you can't counter it!" He made a sign with his hand, and the genjutsu released itself. The smell returned to normal, satisfying my earlier conclusion.

The boy who didn't release the genjutsu aimed a kick at Sasuke. I saw Sasuke get ready to return it, but before he could, the green jumpsuit boy hopped between their kicks and held one in each hand.

"Woah..." I muttered in an undertone. "That's some major skill right there." I could tell Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were thinking the same thing. I mean, something like this from some guy who was getting beaten up a few minutes ago? If that's not skill, then what is? Well, aside from Sasuke's Sharingan, of course. I mean, this green guy obviously has been working hard, to be able to recover so quickly (I swear, his bruises are all gone by now). Sasuke just gets his skills from his bloodline.

"Hey, that's not what we agreed!" a pupil-less, long-haired genin hissed in annoyance. "You're the one who insisted we should avoid drawing attention to ourselves!" By now, the Chinese girl had stood up.

"B-but..." Fuzzy brows gave a look over at Sakura, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. I could guess what he was thinking; I've seen the same thing from the people around Sasuke.

Ugh. Love. I've had enough love and heartbreak to cover for a life-time.

...wait, what? I was definitely NOT in love with Sasuke. Nor was I in love with Naruto. So where did that come from?

Luckily, Fuzzy Brows boldly walked over to Sakura, saving me from my inner torture. "My name is Rock Lee. You're Sakura aren't you?" He could barely keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Y-yes..."

"Would you like to go out with me? I'll protect you with my life!" Flash went those straight and bright teeth.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sakura replied flattly, "No. Way. You are way out of hand!" That meanie...but Naruto was laughing too. I quickly stole a glance over at Sasuke, to see that he was staring back at me with a slight smirk on his face. I couldn't tell what was going through his mind at that time, but I had a feeling that it was nothing good.

Just as quickly, I turned my face away from him, unable to keep from gaze because of the conflicting emotions within me. I wanted to scream at him...for what? I didn't know why I suddenly felt a rush of sadness and jealousy when he looked at me; I just felt like I should be beating up trees.

Those trees were saved when the long-haired boy from earlier turned to Sasuke and called out, "Hey you! What's your name!"

Naruto's eyes lit up in flames. Huh, guess why? (Note the sarcasm.)

"It's common courtesy to give your own name first," Sasuke replied back cooly.

"You're a rookie, aren't you? How old?" The brunet tried again.

"I don't have to tell you a thing." Rejected once again.

After that, they both turned away from each other, Sasuke heading over to where I was, the brunet to his teammate.

"Done?" Sasuke asked, not in an uncaring tone, but not in a friendly one either. "Hurry up, we're all waiting for you."

I allowed a small smile to appear. Even if he is in a relationship with Naruto, even if I'm jealous that he likes Naruto more than me, I'm still glad that we can stay as friends.

As Sakura led the three of us to the real exam site, I accepted my feelings; I was in love with Sasuke.

And that dumbshit liked Naruto.

And Naruto liked Sakura.

And Sakura liked Sasuke.

What a stupid...stupid...STUPID...love square that was.

Rather, it was a triangle with a line sticking out from it (AN: Cyclopropane, actually).

**Yes I kept this for two weeks because I forgot to put it up. Yeah, sue me. Yada yada yada.**

**Review? :3 I'll try to update faster (yeah)!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Yayzers, I forgot to update. Again. I'd make apologies and excuses, but I don't think you guys want to hear me, so on with the story!  
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**But then again...if want an explanation, I'll put one at the end of the chapter... :)  
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Mikotsu POV

As we made our way to the _real_ exam site, we were ambushed by Bushy Brows.

"You with the scowl..." His exclamation was directed to Sasuke. "...you want to fight?" He looked down at us from the ledge he was perched on.

Turning around, Sasuke asked disbelievingly, "...now?"

"Yes!" Green-boy leaped down from his position and changed into a fighting pose. "My name is Rock Lee," he introduced himself. "Among sticklers, etiquette requires one to introduce oneself before asking for the name of another..." He gestured with his hand for Sasuke to reveal his name.

"...Sasuke Uchiha. So you knew who I was all along." His glare was set to high mode. Of course, I could tell that it was nothing but a bluff. A - usually - very effective bluff.

"I'm calling you out!" The Green-boy, now known as Rock Lee, demanded, refusing to be affected by the famous Uchiha Glare of Doom. Actually, I just made that up right now... My mind tends to wander around a lot... Hm, I wonder how effective that glare would be when you add a Sharingan too it... I bet if Sakura had that glare, she'd still be pretty useless... I wonder if Sasuke has his glare on when he's with Naruto...

Thanks to the sudden pain in my chest, I snapped back to reality just in time to watch Naruto charge straight at Lee. Without even looking at the orange streak, Green-boy effortlessly swatted him down like a fly.

"Gale Force Technique!" As soon as Naruto hit the ground, Lee spun in a circle, and the blond ninja flew a few spaces away.

"Naruto!" I jumped over to him and barely managed to catch him before he fell down, some distance next to the Uchiha I was previously thinking about.

...not THAT way, you perverts.

I glared up at Lee. What was his problem? My hand instinctively reached down to pop open the gourd of sand I had clipped on my belt, since there was no way I could get sand from the outside here within a minute.

"Don't."

I looked up, startled to find that the command came from Sasuke, and not from Lee. I gave him a questioning look, demanding an answer.

"We don't know what we're up against. Let him show his stuff first. Besides, if we're going to be competing against each other, it wouldn't be a good idea to show him all your attacks so early in the game. Let me take care of him." The last part was said as the raven activated his Sharingan.

_Try taking your own advice, kiddo_, was what I wanted to say. Then I realized that his Sharingan could dissect the foe's jutsu, whether it be genjutsu or ninjutsu. And it wasn't much of a loss anyways, since everyone knew that Uchihas had the Sharingan eye. All that could result from this exchange would be Sasuke learning the secret to Green-boy's speed. _Smart move, Sasuke._

Of course, I didn't say that out loud, either. Instead, I said, "Don't lose this, Sasuke, or I'll laugh at you."

The dark-haired Uchiha gritted his teeth and shot in for the kill.

"Konoha Hurricane!" The genin was a blur of green as he swatted at Sasuke from the top. Just as quickly, he switched to a leg kick. Just as Sasuke moved to block, Lee's kick suddenly vanished, and reappeared just to connect at Sasuke's head.

"What?" I heard the hurried whisper from the Uchiha's lips. As soon as he landed, he jumped back a few paces, only to charge right back.

_Fool. _

Half-way through his charge, I pulled him back with the sand from my gourd, catching him right before he fell back.

"Sasuke. Stop." I commanded silently, holding him in my arms. From Naruto's and Sasuke's previous attacks, I had a good idea of what we were up against.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, trying to get back up.

"Shut up," I answered swiftly, in the same silent undertones. "Don't do it anymore. I can tell that you're going to lose."

"No I'm not. Now let go of me!" He broke free and began charging at Lee again.

Like I had predicted, before he even had the chance to aim an attack, Green-boy aimed a kick from beneath Sasuke, sending him flying in the air.

"My moves are neither Genjutsu nor Ninjutsu..." He crouched down on the floor, only to gain momentum for his jump upwards, enabling him to get right under Sasuke - almost as if he were Sasuke's shadow.

"Sasuke!" Naruto and I cried at the same. Since I hadn't exactly fought our opponent yet, I was quicker and was able to latch out a string of sand on Sasuke's wrist, pulling the raven over to me. Luckily, right before he landed, Naruto and were able to catch him.

"You alright?" I asked, slightly concerned. Oh sure, he didn't get that much harm to his body, but I was sure as hell that his ego was wounded. Badly. Which made me grin.

"I'm fine," he replied back coldly.

"I meant your ego," I said with a straight face. Naruto gave a little snicker.

"I'm fine," he repeated through gritted teeth, and made a move to stand up.

"Oh, sit your ass back down," I muttered in an annoyed manner. I pulled him back down to sit between Naruto and me. Sure, he might say that was fine, but I could tell that he was shaken.

After all, he _was_ an Uchiha. And everyone knew that Uchihas were the best in everything. So when someone liked Lee appeared... Well, let's just say that he'll have to get used to his new position.

"Sakura...can you occupy Bushy Brows for a while?" The pink-haired kunoichi nodded, and yelled a challenge towards Lee.

I sighed and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, and then I laughed softly.

"Mikotsu?" Naruto asked, confused. "What's so funny?"

I ignored Naruto and instead made my reply to Sasuke, "I did say that if you lost, I'd laugh at you, didn't I?"

I was answered with a pinch to the side. "Shut up."

I giggled some more as Naruto joined in. In that moment, life was good, even if we were about to step to our deaths, aka the Chunin exams.

...the exams!

**Here's my apology/explanation...**

**Wahhh! Gomenasai! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever! Truth is, I just kept forgetting! And whenever I had time, I always used it to start new ideas (I'm so smart; starting new stories when I haven't finished my old ones -_- I have 5 more ideas now), so I have about three half-finished one-shots now :(  
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**And of course, finals. And I had orchestra camp. And softball camp. And I got an iPod Touch :P Finally, I own an iPod...even if my brother uses it more than me :P  
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**As always, Review! Not that I deserve any... *sniffs*  
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